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Defending champions Patna Pirates got their home leg of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 off to a bright start as they registered a comfortable 41-30 win over the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.
Pardeep Narwal led the charge for the Pirates with his fourth 'Super-10' of the season as the hosts' skipper finished with 11 raid points and was ably supported by Manjeet. The latter's impressive debut season continued as the lanky raider piled the pressure on the Panthers with some pacy raids to pick nine raid points.
The major talking point for the Pirates was, however, the strong display put up on the defensive front as Jaideep and Vikas Kale both picked up 'High-5s' to their names which sealed even the slightest sniff of a comeback for the Panthers.
Anup Kumar's wily raiding and Deepak Hooda's glimpses of experience were the only saving grace that ensured that the defeat was not a massive one, as both the experienced hands picked seven points.
In the end, the Panthers slumped to their third defeat in four games while the Pirates jumped to the second spot with their third win in five games. Here are the player ratings for this game.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Anup Kumar - 7.5/10
The Jaipur skipper was one of the lone bright sparks in a poor outing for the Panthers as Anup picked seven raid points from nine raids and kept the points ticking for Jaipur.
Deepak Niwas Hooda - 7/10
Deepak Hooda finished with seven points to emerge as the joint top-scorer but his performance was only in patches as the all-rounder was often caught during his raids while on the defensive front, Hooda finished with just one point.
Sunil Siddhgavali - 7.5/10
Sunil Siddhgavali was impressive in his first start for Jaipur as he finished with three tackle points from four tackles and showcased his might when he single-handedly brought down Pardeep Narwal with an ankle hold on the former's do-or-die raid.
Ajinkya Pawar - 6/10
Pawar was pacy and traveled the court well, often unsettling the defense unit but he failed to perform consistently, picking just two raid points.
Mohit Chhillar - 4.5/10
The experienced right corner defender has looked patchy all throughout the season and yet again, was found wanting more as Manjeet's running hand touches often found Chhillar as the prime target.
Selvamani K - 4/10
The lanky raider failed to play up to his potential and as a third raider in the team, picked up just a solitary point from five raids.
Sandeep Dhull - 3/10
The Panthers' left corner had a woeful outing as he picked just the one point from seven tackles and left his defense unit high and dry.
SUBSTITUTES
Ajit Singh - 7/10
Ajit Singh was introduced in the second half and the lanky raider enjoyed a moderate run as he finished with four raid points and was a major contributor to Jaipur's points in the second half.
Amit Kumar - 8/10
Amit managed to pick a touch point on his only raid which gave the Panthers some confidence in the game.
Gangadhari Mallesh - NA
Mallesh was brought on late in the game but did not go in for a single raid.
Patna Pirates
Pardeep Narwal - 8/10
The Patna skipper was in his elements right throughout as he kept the Panthers' defenders on their feet by picking up 11 raid points and ensured that Patna had the lead all the way till the final minute.
Manjeet - 8/10
The youngster has done very well in the season to emerge from the shadows of Pardeep Narwal and he did so yet again in fine fashion as he picked nine raid points and also affected an important tackle to finish with ten points from the game.
Vikas Kale - 7.5/10
Kale picked up his first 'High-5' this season in this game as his valiant dashes and powerful blocks were on display that kept the Jaipur raiders in check.
Jaideep - 7/10
The left corner was in top form all throughout the game as he was a force to reckon with on the corner and picked a 'High-5' in the game from ten tackles.
Vijay - 6.5/10
Vijay was slightly hasty in his tackle but did well to support his teammates while in the raiding department, kept the Pirates out of troubled waters with two raid points at crucial junctions in the second half.
Jawahar Dagar - 6/10
Dagar's start in the right corner paid off in a way as the defender threw himself on the Jaipur raiders and his rock-solid ankle holds saw him finish with two tackle points.
Vikas Jaglan - 5/10
Jaglan had a quiet outing as he failed to pick a point but was also mature not to put in hasty tackles and get sent out of the mat.
SUBSTITUTES
Manish - NA
Manish slotted into the left cover position late in the second half and did not contribute with points.
