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Day 67 of the Pro Kabaddi League kicked off with the Puneri Paltan taking on the Gujarat Fortunegiants. The second match of the day was between the Tamil Thalaivas and Bengal Warriors. The Fortunegiants defeated the Paltan while the Warriors overcame the Thalaivas. We at Sportskeeda go over the major talking points from both matches.
#5 Giant margin of victory
The Gujarat Fortunegiants met with the Puneri Paltan on the Paltan's home turf. Unfortunately, even with the home advantage, Puneri Paltan put up very little resistance and went down 44-20. All the local fans present at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Friday, went home disappointed. A well-rounded performance witnessed the Fortunegiants dominate the hosts in both attack and defence.
#4 Sukesh Hegde
The mastermind behind the Gujarat onslaught was Sukesh Hegde. Hegde was on the bench for the Zone A leaders’ last few matches, but made an appearance in today's matchup. He managed a total of 15 points that included 14 touch points as well as a bonus.
Only one of his 16 raids in the game ended unsuccessfully. This hinted at the fact that one of the aces up Gujarat’s sleeve may be to hit top-form as they enter the business end of the season.
Hegde’s ability to execute super raids, seen twice against Pune, will be another problem for opposing defences slated to line up against Gujarat.
#3 Warriors top Zone B
The Bengal Warriors topped Zone B thanks to a 34-30 victory over Tamil Thalaivas. Maninder Singh was Bengal’s top-scorer with 12 raid points, while captain Surjeet Singh bagged a High 5, contributing a total of six tackle points.
Neither team gave an inch early on. However, Chennai marginally shaded the opening quarter and took a 6-5 lead into the closing 10 minutes of the half. That was enough to force Bengal to counterattack. They asserted their dominance as the half progressed with Maninder’s two-point raid in the 15th minute creating a three-point lead.
#2 Maninder Singh
Maninder Singh, late in the first half, made the score 16-12 in favour of Bengal. Chennai tried to respond before half-time but the Warriors held their nerve to go into the break with a four-point advantage.
Maninder brought up his Super 10 early in the second period as Bengal looked to control the pace of the game. But a two-point raid by K. Prapanjan – that also brought up his Super 10 – in the 33rd minute gave Chennai hopes of making a comeback.
#1 Must win game for UP
UP Yoddha must win their next game if they are to entertain any hopes of staying alive in the tournament. With the playoffs edging closer and 1 spot remaining, UP need a victory. Fortunately for them, their closest challengers, Telugu Titans, have lost any chance of qualifying for the playoffs. With an asset like Rishank Devadiga on their side, the playoffs position is as good as theirs.
