The final matchday of the Bengaluru leg of PKL Season 10 featured two evenly contested battles. Tamil Thalaivas secured a last-minute victory over rivals Telugu Titans with a 38-36 scoreline. In the other match, Bengaluru Bulls edged past Jaipur Pink Panthers 32-30.
The match between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans witnessed early momentum favoring the Titans when Ajit Pawar pinned down Narender Kandola in the second minute, giving them an early lead of 3-1.
Pawan's bonus points and Robin Chowdhury's quick raid points helped the Titans maintain the lead, with Tamil Thalaivas trailing at 10-8. Narender's comeback, supported by Ajinkya, levelled the score. Sahil Singh's strong defensive show controlled Pawan Kumar and Robin, resulting in a halftime score of 20-17.
In the second half, Pawan scored quick raid points, levelling the scores. Both teams engaged in a tight contest relying on do-or-die raids. Sahil Gulia's super tackle against Pawan Sehrawat gave the Thalaivas the upper hand.
With just three players remaining on the Titans' court, Ajinkya Pawar's two touch points extended the lead to 32-28. Although the Titans came close with a super tackle, the clock ran out, and the Thalaivas secured the 38-36 win at full-time.
In the evening's second match, Bengaluru Bulls secured a 32-30 victory against Jaipur Pink Panthers, prompting cheers from the home crowd.
The Bulls delivered an all-round performance, notably in defense, where captain Saurabh Nandal earned a high 5.
Despite an early lead, the Pink Panthers showcased a sturdy defense, successfully targeting Vikas Kandola and pinning him down. Raider Ajith Kumar scored quick two raid points, resulting in an all-out against the Bulls and a 10-6 lead.
Undeterred, Bengaluru refined their strategies, with Bharat Hooda scoring quick raid points. Jaipur fought back in a super tackle scenario, maintaining a slight lead of 17-14 at halftime.
The second half featured dynamic exchanges, with the Pink Panthers briefly leading before the Bengaluru Bulls countered with an all-out to level at 21. Both teams engaged in exchanging points, but Bengaluru's tightened defense stood up and got the better of raiders Arjun Deshwal and Ajith Kumar, securing 13 crucial tackle points, that proved pivotal.
The match remained closely contested until the final minute, with Vikash Kandola's raid giving the Bulls a two-point lead. In the last raid, V Ajith Kumar faced a challenge and fell to the defense trap in a bid to secure a point, solidifying Bengaluru's 32-30 triumph at the end of the 40th minute.
PKL 2023: Match Summary
Tamil Thalaivas 38-36 Telugu Titans (Narender Kandola - 9 raid points, Sahil Singh - 7 tackle points, Robin Chowdhury - 7 raid points, Milad Jabbari - 4 tackle points
Bengaluru Bulls 32- 30 Jaipur Pink Panthers (Bharat Hooda - 8 raid points, Saurabh Nandal - 5 tackle points, Ajith Kumar - 9 raid points, Ankush - 6 tackle points)