Patna Pirates qualified for their first ever Star Sports Pro Kabaddi final with a 40-21 win over Puneri Paltan. Pardeep Narwal scored 10 raid points while Sandeep Narwal got a super five in defence. Deepak Niwas Hooda with 6 and Manjeet Chhillar, 5, top scored for the Paltan as they failed to qualify for the final in their first semi-final appearance.
Both the teams exchanged blows for the first five minutes and were tied at 3 each, but that was just the lull before the storm. The Patna Pirates came roaring out of the blocks after the fifth minute and completed the first all out of the match in the 9th minute when Ajay Thakur surrendered to Pardeep. Rohit Kumar had reduced the Pirates to just 2 men while Manjeet Chhillar was tackled by Sandeep Narwal and Vinod Kumar after which Pardeep applied the finishing touches on the all out.
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However, that was just the beginning as Patna took just 3 more minutes to inflict another all out on the Paltan! In the 12th minute, Manjeet Chhillar’s side had 4 men on the court, but Pardeep slayed them all in a single raid. The 19-year-old got the crowd on its feet by winning SIX points in his raid to send his team into a massive 20-4 lead.
The semi-final debutants managed to stop the slide, but last season’s 4th placed side didn’t let them back in the game. Both the teams swapped points till the end as the half-time mark saw the Pirates lead by a massive 18 points.
HT: Patna Pirates 25-7 Puneri Paltan
The second half saw Ashok Shinde’s men start on the front foot as they won 4 points on the trot. It didn’t take them long to complete the all out on Patna as Manpreet’s unsuccessful raid saw the Pirates’ lead reduced to 11 points in the 27th minute.
But, that didn’t deter the Pirates and the Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan-coached side swung the momentum in their favour through a complete team effort. Rohit Kumar’s smart raids coupled with Pardeep’s explosive raids put them on the front foot yet again and stellar defending resulted in Pune’s joy cut short. Puneri Paltan suffered a third all out in the 34th minute to the delight of the crowd.
With the result virtually decided, Patna Pirates played safe and didn’t let Puneri Paltan back in the match in the final 6 minutes. The final buzzer ensured the Pirates reached the final in their third attempt with a 19-point win. They will now await the result of the match between U Mumba and Bengal Warriors while Puneri Paltan will fight for the third place with the loser of the second semi-final.
FT: Patna Pirates 40-21 Puneri Paltan
