“We are sorry,” said Bengaluru Bulls owner Uday Sinh Wala after the Bengaluru Bulls ended a disastrous leg at home in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 4. Hosting the first leg after the mid-season break, the Bulls lost all four matches they played at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium to create an unwanted record of becoming the first team to lose all their matches at home in a single season.
With the PKL caravan set to move to Kolkata, the Bengal Warriors will hope to move away from the bottom of the table while the Titans aim to continue their resurgence. The Bulls will be playing for pride and Dabang Delhi will try to make a late challenge for the semi-final spot.
The leg began with a third loss on the trot for the home team as they went down 24-32 to a resurgent Telugu Titans. Rahul Chaudhari and Rohit Kumar top scored with 9 points each, but the former got more support from his teammates, especially Sandeep Narwal, who was a rock at the back.
The second match of the day was a thrilling 34-34 draw between bottom-placed Bengal Warriors and Manjeet Chhillar’s Puneri Paltan. The Warriors snapped their 5-match losing streak while the Paltan thanks to Vishal Mane’s 6 tackle points. Deepak Hooda scored 8 points, Ajay Thakur won 6 for his team while Joginder Narwal totalled 4 tackle points to avoid the loss.
Jaipur Pink Panthers moved to the top of the table, courtesy a 24-22 win over the home team on the second day of the Bengaluru leg. In a rather low scoring encounter, it was Amit Hooda’s 4 tackle points that stole the show and took the game away from the Season 2 finalists.
The penultimate day began with a high-intensity match between the Season 1 winners Jaipur and Season 2 winners U Mumba. The 3-time finalists beat the team from Rajasthan 29-23 to continue their march up the table. The awesome twosome – Rakesh (5 raid and 2 defence points) and Anup Kumar (5 raid points) – were sensational on the night.
The second match of Day 3 was a one-sided affair with Patna Pirates silencing the home crowd with a 38-23 win over the Bulls. Ashish Kumar’s 7-point haul went in vain as Rajesh Mondal (9 points) put his former team to the sword along with captain Dharmaraj Cheralathan, another former Bulls player, Fazel Atrachali, and Surjeet Singh.
The final day began with a narrow 29-32 loss for title favourites Puneri Paltan. This win was Telugu Titans’ fourth in a row as they went above U Mumba and into the playoff places. Ravinder Pahal completed a high 5 to support Deepak Niwas Hooda’s efforts, but it all went in vain as a Rahul Chaudhari-inspired Titans ended up on the winning side. Rahul completed a super 10 while Sandeep Narwal won a raid point to complement his 6 tackle points.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi 2016: Mohit Chhillar vows to help Bengaluru Bulls avoid making silly mistakes
The final match of the day was a 40-20 drubbing for the home team at the hands of Dabang Delhi, who look to have gained some momentum off late. Termed the giant killers after their win in Patna against the Pirates, the Eagles soared high and handed the Bulls their worst loss this season. Kashiling Adake scored 11 points as the home team surrendered meekly, to the dismay of the capacity crowd.
The league table saw plenty of movement after 4 days of packed action in Karnataka’s capital city. Jaipur Pink Panthers sit at the top of the table, courtesy of a better score difference than reigning champions Patna Pirates. Telugu Titans made their way into the top 4, level on points with 3rd-placed Puneri Paltan. U Mumba are closing in on the Titans while the Bulls are slightly ahead of Dabang Delhi, who have now established a 9-point lead over the Warriors.
