Patna Pirates Vs Telugu Titans 13 February 2024

Full-Time
Patna Pirates 38 - 36 Telugu Titans

Patna Pirates become the 5th team to qualify for the playoffs with that win, but a significantly improved performance from the Telugu Titans gave us an absolutely cracking contest.

Patna didn't make things easy for themselves as their defense was erratic and kept making errors throughout the game, especially in the first ten minutes. Even their raiders didn't have the desired impact early on, and they have Sandeep Kumar to thank for their revival in this match. They were much sharper post half-time, and while the defensive errors persisted, Manjeet's crucial contributions at both ends made up for those as they edged ahead at just the right time.

As for the Titans, Pawan Sehrawat and Ankit had 9/10 games, scoring a Super 10 and a High 5 respectively, but a lack of support from them, and inconsistent performances from the rest of the side cost them in the end. Nevertheless, a much improved showing from them and one that Pawan will be pleased with.

A thriller was what we wanted, and that's exactly what we got from this single-header. Tomorrow, we have the final day of the Kolkata leg that promises to bring more enthralling kabaddi action, but until then, this is Shreyas signing off. Good night!

2nd Half, 40'
Patna Pirates 38 - 36 Telugu Titans

Pawan Sehrawat knows what he's doing and teases Mayur Kadam into committing a tackle, but the coaches' words appear to have stayed with the youngster who wisely stays away.

Manjeet is then gifted a point by Mohit in a do-or-die raid, and that should be it for the Pirates. Right?

Not quite. Babu M with the error to gift Pawan a point, and with him getting the bonus point, the deficit is down to two now.

With around 20 seconds left to play, Pawan comes in to raid, and he can manage just the one point, getting the touch on Mayur Kadam. The Titans are forced to play a high-line on the final raid, and Manjeet's height allows him to once again use the kick to get the touch on Ankit, to seal a narrow 2-point win in a thrilling contest for the Patna Pirates.

2nd Half, 38'
Patna Pirates 36 - 33 Telugu Titans

This match isn't done yet says Ankit as he goes in with the most powerful of ankle holds on Sandeep Kumar to get to his High 5. How good as he been for the Titans today! Pawan Sehrawat follows it up with a quality running hand touch on Krishan Dhull, and right after that point, the Pirates call a timeout.

Patna needs to just roll the clock down. They have been guilty of mismanaging matches like this, and they need to get it right this time. Two minutes left to play.

2nd Half, 37'
Patna Pirates 36 - 31 Telugu Titans

Second time this is happening for the Patna Pirates! Once again, they have a shot at an all-out but a silly effort from Mayur Kadam gifts Mohit Rathee with a point.

Once again, Manjeet does well to get a point in a 1v2 situation, but this time around, the pressure gets to Mohit, who's not usually a raider, as he steps into the lobby by accident, giving the Pirates the all-out they so desired.

It's taken quite a while to get to this position, but finally, the Pirates are in control of this match. 3 and a half minutes left to play.

2nd Half, 35'
Patna Pirates 32 - 29 Telugu Titans

The half-time substitution to bring Manjeet on has proved to be a masterstroke for the Pirates. Manjeet faced with a challenging do-or-die raid against 4 defenders, uses his height to great effect, using the kick on Ankit in the left corner to take Patna into the lead.

Prafull Zaware is then dashed off court by Mayur Kadam, and the right cover gets his 3rd tackle point of the night. Manjeet then corners Ajit Pawar in a 1v2 situation and he gets the hand touch on his face after a couple of attempts.

2nd Half, 32'
Patna Pirates 29 - 29 Telugu Titans

Stellar effort from Ankit to keep the do-or-die raid expert Sachin Tanwar down with another well-timed ankle hold as the Titans resume well post the timeout. Patna are down to three now.

But, Pawan soon has a do-or-die raid to face in a Super Tackle situation, and Manjeet catches him completely off-guard with a diving double thigh hold to level the scores for the Pirates.

2nd Half, 30'
Patna Pirates 27 - 28 Telugu Titans

Weak, too weak from Krishan Dhull that. It's a do-or-die raid for Pawan Sehrawat in a 1v5 situation, and Krishan Dhull's attempted block comes in too early, and it's way too easy for the Hi-Flyer to swivel his way back to the mid-line.

The whistle blows for the timeout, and Patna will have a do-or-die raid on the other side. We have a thriller on our hands as the Titans are fighting for a win after a long time! Expect a breakneck finish to this one.

2nd Half, 28'
Patna Pirates 27 - 27 Telugu Titans

Not yet, says Omkar Patil! The substitute puts in a stellar Super Raid to keep the Titans in the hunt. Ankit goes in early with the ankle hold, but the support from Mayur Kadam is a fraction too late, and that combined with the bonus point gets the Titans back in the hunt.

Ohh, the Titans take the lead as Milad Jabbari puts in a solid block-dash on Sandeep Kumar in a Super Tackle situation. 

Manjeet then coolly strolls toward the right side of the defense, and eases out of Milad Jabbari's attempted challenge, walking away with a point in his first raid of the match.

The scores are level once again! What a match this has been.

2nd Half, 26'
Patna Pirates 26 - 22 Telugu Titans

Sachin Tanwar faces a do-or-die raid in a Super Tackle situation, and while the time runs out, he keeps his cool to work the defense, eventually drawing the error from Prafull Zaware to get away with a point.

With the Titans down to two, Sachin Tanwar is brought down by an outstanding Super Tackle mostly due to Shankar Gadai's terrific supporting effort. However, the point is awarded to the Pirates because of jersey-pulling.

The Titans disagree and take the review, but it's unsuccessful. The Titans are down to one and stare at their 2nd all-out. This has been some collapse from them.

2nd Half, 24'
Patna Pirates 24 - 22 Telugu Titans

Sandeep Kumar is going to be the toast of the Patna dressing room at the end of this match regardless of the result because he has been exceptional at a time of duress for the 3-time champions. The Titans' defense haven't been able to deal with him all day, and this time, he teases Ajit Pawar into a challenge before escaping with ease.

At the other end, the Telugu Titans' achilles heel is showing: the lack of raiders to support Pawan. Ratan G, the substitute never looks like scoring a point, and Krishan Dhull's block is something he isn't escaping from as the Pirates pull ahead.

The Titans are down to three now.

2nd Half, 22'
Patna Pirates 22 - 22 Telugu Titans

And, in a flash, Patna are level! Sandeep Kumar wastes no time to race across towards the right cover and gets the touch on Milad Jabbari. Krishan Dhull then times his challenge on Pawan Sehrawat to perfection, and the Pirates have shown plenty of composure to recover post that shocking start.

Manjeet comes on for Sudhakar M as the Pirates make a raiding change.

Half-Time
Patna Pirates 20 - 22 Telugu Titans

The Patna Pirates have been extremely ordinary here, and they should consider themselves lucky to be only two points down at half-time.

Right from the first raid, the Titans were on top, and how! The errors kept piling on from Patna's defense and Pawan Sehrawat ensured he made the most of it, rolling back the years to his Bengaluru Bulls days. Their defense also did well to contain Sudhakar M and Sachin Tanwar, but it's Sandeep Kumar who has hurt them, bringing the Pirates back into this game.

The young raider has scored five raid points without getting tackled even once, and combined with some timely tackles from the two corners, the Pirates somehow managed to get the all-out in the dying seconds of the half.

They'll have the momentum with them and will look to take the lead early in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, the Titans doing what they've done all season here. The Titans haven't been able to control matches despite having phases of dominance, and they'll want to set that right in this 2nd half.

A thrilling contest on the cards here.

1st Half, 20'
Patna Pirates 20 - 22 Telugu Titans

The errors just keep coming from the Pirates' defense, and Pawan Sehrawat is just toying with them here. Mayur Kadam this time around with a needless advanced tackle.

However, Sandeep Kumar is keeping the Pirates in the game, and he executes a beautiful reverse kick to catch Ankit off-guard in a 1v4 situation. The Titans are down to three, and this time, the Pirates get Pawan Sehrawat this time around as Krishan Dhull comes around with a solid block as the rest of the defense join in to support.

In the final raid of the half, Sachin Tanwar uses his pace to force the error from Milad Jabbari in a 1v2 situation, and gets the all-out for the Pirates.

Despite dominating the entire game, the Titans' lead is only two heading into half-time.

1st Half, 18'
Patna Pirates 14 - 21 Telugu Titans

Once again, Patna slow the game down, and Robin Choudhary is a sitting duck in the do-or-die raid as Ankit makes no mistake with his diving double thigh hold.

At the other end, it's Sandeep Kumar who's making things happen, and he expertly anticipates the challenge coming in from Mohit in the right corner, and executes a neat escape to emerge successful in a do-or-die raid.

1st Half, 16'
Patna Pirates 12 - 21 Telugu Titans

Ankit in the Titans' left corner has had an excellent game so far, and he nails another ankle hold on Sachin Tanwar after Pawan Sehrawat claims a neat bonus point to get to his Super 10 very early in this match.

1st Half, 15'
Patna Pirates 12 - 19 Telugu Titans

Is that the raid that opens the game up for the Patna Pirates? Sandeep Kumar does well to escape from the challenge from the cover combination to come away with a 2-point raid.

Mayur Kadam's near-perfect dash on Prafull Zaware goes in vain, though, as he follows the raider out of bounds.

1st Half, 13'
Patna Pirates 9 - 18 Telugu Titans

Patna decide to slow the game down by playing on the do-or-die raid, but it's Patna's that comes first, and Sudhakar M looks a bit lost for ideas in his raid as he pretty much gets timed out on his attempt.

Pawan Sehrawat comes in for the Titans' do-or-die raid, and he's sent back to the bench by a good combination tackle from Ankit and Krishan Dhull, but the former also goes out of bounds in the process.

1st Half, 10'
Patna Pirates 8 - 16 Telugu Titans

Woah, Sachin Tanwar is tackled, and it's the raider Prafull Zaware who puts in a near-perfect double-thigh hold to stop him right in his tracks! The Titans are on fire.

Sudhakar M does well to get a bonus point under the nose of the right corner. Ankit Jaglan in the Pirates' left corner finally gets it right, nailing the ankle hold on Robin Chaudhary as the whistle blows for the timeout!

An electric start from the Telugu Titans has the Patna Pirates reeling here, and their defense is in shambles. Only two tackle points from 11 attempted tackles for them, and they'll need to sort themselves out quick.

1st Half, 8'
Patna Pirates 6 - 15 Telugu Titans

Sandeep Kumar breaks the chain of Titan points by getting a hefty touch on the left corner to pull one back for the Pirates. However, Prafull Zaware negates the impact of that raid with another two-point raid.

The Patna Pirates are mistiming all their tackles, and this time, it's Krishan Dhull who comes in with a late dash attempt.

Ohh, finally some momentum for the Pirates as Sachin Tanwar bursts across the court to get the touch on the right cover. Pawan Sehrawat is then tackled for the first time with a solid double knee hold from Mayur Kadam.

1st Half, 6'
Patna Pirates 3 - 13 Telugu Titans

The Patna Pirates are absolutely hemorrhaging points here. Pawan Sehrawat has scored nine raid points in seven raids, and the Pirates' defense has looked nowhere close to tackling him. To make matters worse, they're also getting tackled at the other end, with Ajit Pawar putting in a solid block to bring Sudhakar M down.

1st Half, 4'
Patna Pirates 3 - 10 Telugu Titans

Pawan Sehrawat retains his cool brilliantly to outwit Thiyagarajan Yuvraj in a 1v2 situation to escape with a point, and the last man Sudhakar M is unable to get a touch point on his raid, leaving Pawan with an easy surrender raid to get the game's first all-out.

The Titans have been brilliant so far.

1st Half, 3'
Patna Pirates 1 - 6 Telugu Titans

Solid start from Pawan Sehrawat as he confidently goes in and comes away with a running hand touch on Krishan Dhull. Sachin Tanwar seems even more confident than the Hi-Flyer, racing across to get a touch on the right-in.

Pawan once again gets Krishan Dhull, but this time, Babu M also joins in with an unnecessary tackle, gifting the Titans' captain a point. Sachin Tanwar then is tackled by a solid challenge from Ankit in the Titans' left corner.

Wait, what's happening here! The Titans are absolutely flying as Pawan is single-handedly wiping the Pirates out. It's a 1v4 situation, Pawan Sehrawat gets a touch on Mayur Kadam, and Ankit's dash is a bit too late as the Hi-Flyer manages to cross the mid-line. A 5-point raid for the Titans and the Pirates are down to two.

Toss Update: The Patna Pirates win the toss and choose court. The Titans to raid first.

Pawan Sehrawat to start things off.

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Team News

Here are the starting lineups of both teams:

Patna Pirates: Sachin Tanwar (C), Sudhakar M, Sandeep Kumar, Ankit, Krishan Dhull, Babu M, and Mayur Kadam.

Telugu Titans: Pawan Sehrawat (C), Prafull Zaware, Milad Jabbari, Mohit Rathee, Robin Choudhary, Ajit Pawar, and Ankit.

The Pirates make one change from their win against U Mumba, with the under-performing Manjeet making way for Sandeep Kumar. The Titans make a change, with Robin Choudhary replacing Omkar Patil as the third raider.

Preview

Hello, good evening, and welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of the tenth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. We're on the penultimate day of the Kolkata leg of PKL 10 and we have in front of us a crucial contest from the context of the playoffs as three-time champions Patna Pirates search for a win against the Telugu Titans with a bid to seal their qualification for the playoffs, here at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

The Pirates are a win away from confirming their appearance in the knockout stages which should come as a huge relief to their fans, who were shocked to see them finish 10th last season. The Pirates were in a similar position this time around as well, but they've turned it around since losing captain Neeraj Kumar to a season-ending injury. Sachin Tanwar has led the team brilliantly, with the Pirates winning five and tieing two of their last seven matches, with the most recent of those games a thumping 44-23 win over U Mumba.

On the other hand, the Telugu Titans simply haven't turned up this season as well, and have only two wins in 19 matches, a stat that must hurt deeply. They've lost their last few games by huge margins, and having gone down by a 22-point margin to the Pirates earlier this season, they'll want to put up a tougher fight today and salvage some pride.

Patna's games have always been the most exciting to watch, and another one is definitely on the cards here. Taking you through it all will be, me, Shreyas. Team news and more to follow!