Tamil Thalaivas Vs Puneri Paltan 31 December 2021

Right then, that is all that we have for you from this Pro Kabaddi League encounter. Switch tabs and catch all the live action from the second game of the day as the Patna Pirates lock horns with defending champions Bengal Warriors. Until next time then, this is me, Maanas Upadhyay, signing off! Stay home and stay safe!

FULL TIME!

Tamil Thalaivas 36-26 Puneri Paltan

The Thalaivas fans can finally rejoice! Unlike their track record so far, the Thalaivas have not squandered the lead and sacrificed the game. However, it was not smooth sailing for the side from Tamil Nadu. An early all-out in the second half along with some poor showing had reduced their lead to just two points. 

What followed was a moment of brilliance as Ajinkya Pawar was substituted in. The raider noticed up his first Super 10 in no time and emerged as a do-or-die specialist, successfully raiding in four consecutive do-or-die raids. He finishes as their highest point scorer with 11 points. Just when it seemed like the Thalaivas were about to lose the plot, Pawar came in and revived their side. 

Pune will rue the missed opportunity to get their second win of the tournament. They indeed had the Thalaivas cornered at one stage but silly errors from the Pune outfit resulted in the match slipping from their hands. The poor showing of their raiders has been their main concern and it continues to haunt them in the absence of Nitin Tomar. Nadarajan and Bharadwaj put their heart and soul in the contest but in the end, most games cannot be won solely on the strength of the defence. 

40' Mohit Goyat is tackled as he ventures far too deep in the defence. An ankle hold by the cover defender coupled with support from the rest of the side will mean that Pune will not take a single point from this contest. 

40' SUPER TACKLE! Finally Ajinkya Pawar has been tackled! A weak double thigh hold from Vishal Bharadwaj but support from the other defenders let Ajinkya get just fingertips on it. 

39' Brilliant from Sahil Singh as he goes for the double ankle hold. The raider is pinned on the mat and has no route back to his half.

Tamil Thalaivas 35-24 Puneri Paltan

38' OH WOW! Ajinkya Pawar is getting the job done for the Thalaivas! He is indeed a do-or-die specialist for the Thalaivas! Picks up a bonus point, shoves the dashing cover defender in the lobby and get another touch point on his way through. The lead is at 10 points now with that SUPER RAID!

Tamil Thalaivas 34-24 Puneri Paltan

37' A strong ankle hold from Sagar pins Inamdar on the mat. Support from Surjeet prevents the raider from getting back. 

36' Inamdar goes for the bonus point but is alert to evade the dashing cover defender. Crosses the mid-line while he is air-borne. 

TIMEOUT!

35' The defence hangs back and awards the bonus point to the raider, who steps out of bounds by himself which lets the Thalaivas take a big lead once again.

Tamil Thalaivas 30-23 Puneri Paltan

35' Ajinkya Pawar corners both the defenders and a filed ankle hold attempt reduces Pune down to just one man.

Tamil Thalaivas 27-22 Puneri Paltan

34' Inamdar depends on the bonus point yet again in a do-or-die raid but has not been given it! Coach Anup Kumar is furious!

Tamil Thalaivas 26-22 Puneri Paltan

33' Do-or-die for Ajinkya Pawar again! He strikes for the fourth time in the row in the pressure situations! Sombir makes an error as he goes for the ankle hold but it is a weak one. 

31' A do-or-die for the Paltan now and Pankaj Mohit uses the running toe-touch to get a point on the right cover defender. 

31' Do-or-die for the Thalaivas and Ajinkya Pawar has been entrusted with it. He delivers as he gets a running hand touch on the left corner defender!

TIMEOUT!

29' A hurried advance tackle from the right corner, a rather unnecessary one lets Mohite get away with one.

Tamil Thalaivas 23-21 Puneri Paltan

28' SUPER TACKLE! Manjeet corners the defenders but Nadarajan puts in an iron-strong ankle hold. Support from the other player completes the tackle. 

28' Pankaj Mohit picks up a bonus point as the defence hangs back.

Tamil Thalaivas 23-18 Puneri Paltan

27' Do-or-die raid and Pawar picks up a couple of points yet again! Dodges Vishal Bharadwaj's block and Rahul Chaudhari's ankle hold to make his way back to his half. 

25' Do-or-die raid for the Paltan now and Inamdar shoulders responsibility. Picks up a bonus under the right corner's nose. However, the bonus has not been granted and the raider has been adjudged out as it was a do-or-die raid.

Puneri Paltan review! The leading foot was cutting the bonus line and was not over it completely. Pune lose their review!

Tamil Thalaivas 21-17 Puneri Paltan

24' Do-or-die raid for Thalaivas and Ajinkya Pawar comes in for it! A failed ankle hold from Sombir along with a touch point on the cover defender allows him to return with a couple of points.

Tamil Thalaivas 20-17 Puneri Paltan

23' Pankaj Mohite produces a sudden burst of speed and gets a running hand touch on the right corner. 

22' Manjeet runs parallel to the baulk line and it is the right corner who comes in with a chain to block him.

Tamil Thalaivas 18-16 Puneri Paltan

21' ALL OUT! The left corner defender steps out of bounds and it is easy pickings for Inamdar after that as he picks up a touch point on the other player.

Tamil Thalaivas 18-15 Puneri Paltan

HALF TIME! 

Tamil Thalaivas 18-11 Puneri Paltan

A similar story seems to be unfolding again as the Thalaivas are en route to squander the lead that they had gotten in the first ten minutes of this fixture. It was Manjeet yet again who gave them a flying start and the raider has picked up 8 points against his former side in the first half itself. Athul MS and Bhavani Rajput have been kept quiet by the Paltan and the Thalaivas might give a go to Prapanjan and Ajinkya Pawar in the next half to provide some able support to Manjeet. 

As for the Paltan, Rahul Chaudhari's struggle for form continues as the old warhorse is just unable to score. The raiding department, in the absence of the injured Nitin Tomar, bears a sorry state. They will need to perform much better if they are to stage a comeback here. The Paltan will be aware of the Thalaivas' history of conceding leads and will look to work that to their advantage. An interesting second half awaits. Will the Thalaivas finally manage to hold on to a lead or will the same story repeat itself? Stay tuned to find out!

20' Ajinkya Pawar is substituted in and picks up a bonus point to finish the half.

Puneri Paltan 11-18  Tamil Thalaivas

20' Do-or-die raid for Inamdar and he strikes! Gets a kick on the right corner defender and runs towards his half.

Puneri Paltan 11-17 Tamil Thalaivas

19' Manjeet attempts a kick on the left corner defender and both cover defenders come for the dash. Far too powerful for the raider as he is dashed out of bounds. 

18' As Prapanjan looks to take a bonus, Vishal goes for the double thigh hold. Prapanjan looks to drag himself towards the mid-line but support from the rest of the defence completes the tackle.

Puneri Paltan 9-17 Tamil Thalaivas

17' A dubki by Pankaj Mohite as he escapes the block by the cover defender and reaches the mid-line easily. Oh that is fantastic from the youngster!

17' The right corner is well too early in the ankle hold and Prapanjan gets a point along with a bonus as well!

Puneri Paltan 7-17 Tamil Thalaivas

16' Do-or-die raid for the Paltan and Inamdar rushes Surjeet at right in into a hasty ankle hold. Escapes and makes his way back to his half. 

15' A brilliant tackle from Sombir on the right corner as a powerful thigh hold tackles him. However, Sombir has stepped out of bounds before executing the tackle. The raider is safe and the Thalaivas get a point. 

Substitution:

K Prapanjan comes in for Bhavani Rajput. 

12' Do-or-die raid for Paltan and Rahul Chaudhari is tackled as a strong block from Surjeet immobilises him.

Puneri Paltan 6-14 Tamil Thalaivas

12' Do-or-die raid for the Thalaivas and Manjeet takes responsibility of it. However, the cover defenders come in with a chain and pin the raider down on the mat. 

11' A hasty attempt at Rahul Chaudhari's ankle by the right corner defender and the veteran is far too experienced to not escape that.

Puneri Paltan 5-13 Tamil Thalaivas

10' Bonus point taken by Manjeet and extends the Thalaivas' lead. 

9' Bhavani Rajput comes in and is dashed out of bounds on his first attempt of the bonus. Good combination between the left corner and the right cover. 

Puneri Paltan 4-12 Tamil Thalaivas

8' ALL OUT! The defence hangs back and allows the bonus point to Rahul Chaudhari, who gets desperate for a touch and is dashed out of bounds. 

7' Manjeet takes a touch point on the left corner defender and uses his height to get back to his half. Gets a touch point on his way through too. However, he wants more and has reviewed!

The review is successful and it is a SUPER RAID for the Thalaivas!
Puneri Paltan 2-9 Tamil Thalaivas

6' Do-or-die raid for the Paltan and Pankaj Mohit comes in for it. Surjeet runs around and a formidable block results in the Thalaivas' lead increasing to 4 points. 

5' Manjeet picks up a bonus point and has claimed a touch on Vishal Bharadwaj as well. The officials converge, agree and award the point to the Thalaivas

Puneri Paltan 2-5 Tamil Thalaivas

4' Manjeet takes a touch point on the cover defender, who was standing far too advanced.

Puneri Paltan 2-3 Tamil Thalaivas

3' Uses his feet and momentum to take a touch point on the right corner does Pankaj Mohite. Returns to his half using the lobby. 

3' Vishal Bharadwaj goes for the ankle hold as soon as Bhavani Rajput tries thee bonus. Loses the ankle but the cover defender dashes him out of bounds.

Puneri Paltan 1-2 Tamil Thalaivas

1' Rahul Chaudhari comes in to raid but has to make his way back to the bench as Sahil at left corner executes a double ankle hold to perfection.

Puneri Paltan 0-2 Tamil Thalaivas

1' Manjeet begins proceedings with a bonus point after unsettling the defence.

Puneri Paltan coach Anup Kumar has announced that Rahul Chaudhari will be on the mat for all forty minutes! How many points will the Showman garner today?

Teams:

Tamil Thalaivas: Manjeet, Surjeet Singh (c), Mohit, Athul MS, Bhavani Rajpur, Sagar, Sahil Singh.
Bench: K Prapanjan, Ajinkya Pawar, Aashish, Amiri Alawathge, Santhapanaselvam.

Puneri Paltan: Rahul Chaudhari, Abinesh Nadarajan, Sanket Sawant, Pankaj Mohite, Aslam Inamdar, Sombir, Vishal Bharadwaj (c).
Bench: Baldev Singh, Hadi Tajik, Pawan Kadian, Karamvir, Mohit Goyat.

Rahul Chaudhari or Manjeet? Vishal Bharadwaj or Surjeet Singh? Who should be in your Dream11 side for this contest? Click on the link above for some of the best combinations for your fantasy side!

An exciting clash awaits us! Click on the link above for a preview to this cracking encounter!

Right then, both the Puneri Paltan and the Tamil Thalaivas are languishing at the bottom of the points table. While the Paltan have just one to their name from three games, the Thalaivas are yet to win a single contest. They have been part of a tied encounter twice this season and will be looking to put in just that tiny bit of extra effort that will get them over the line in this encounter. 

The Puneri Paltan will have gone back to the drawing board to revisit their strategies after they suffered a massive loss against the Patna Pirates in their previous encounter. Their win in their second encounter against the Telugu Titans was not a convincing one and the Anup Kumar-coached side will have to come out all guns blazing if they are to rise in the points table standings. A major decision needs to be taken regarding Rahul Chaudhari, who has been substituted out of the game in the first half itself on the previous two occasions. Will the 'Showman' find a spot in the starting seven today? Only time will tell. 

The Thalaivas, on the other hand, will rely on Manjeet in the raiding department. Manjeet will be playing against his former side and that will give him the extra incentive to perform well. However, he will need support from other raiders and the Thalaivas will turn towards Bhavani Rajput and Athul MS to provide that. Rajput has had a few decent outings in this edition and will look to notch up a big score in this one. Surjeet Singh has been ever so solid in the defence and his presence on the mat adds a whole new dimension to the Thalaivas' side. It will be vital for Surjeet to stay on the mat as long as possible to lead his side. 

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League 2021. The twenty-third fixture of the tournament will pit the Tamil Thalaivas against the Puneri Paltan at the Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru. With both sides looking to make progress in the points table, we are in for a cracker of a contest. So sit back, relax and enjoy as I, Maanas Upadhyay, take you through all that unfolds on the mat over the course of this contest!