The action resumed in Pro Kabaddi League 2018 after a day's break as the Zone B action saw table toppers Bengaluru Bulls take on Telugu Titans in the Southern Derby at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula, Haryana.
The two teams came into this fixture with hopes of strengthening their chances for finishing in the playoffs spot. Bengaluru Bulls aimed to solidify their spot at the top of the table in Zone B as a win tonight would put them 17 points clear of the nearest competition. Telugu Titans could leapfrog Patna Pirates and take up the second spot in the table. The two sides were in a similar vein of form with three wins and two losses in their last five encounters.
Bengaluru Bulls became the first side from the Zone B to secure their qualification to the playoffs with a convincing win over the Telugu Titans. The final scoreline read 44-28 in favour of the Bulls.
The first half of the match began with a couple of strong raids by Pawan Kumar Sehrawat which set the stage for the all-out inside the first ten minutes of the match. Telugu Titans got one Super Tackle but a two-point raid from the Bulls' skipper Rohit Kumar gave them the upper hand for the all-out.
Rahul Chaudhari struck back with a Super Raid of his own and triggered their comeback towards the end of the half. Bulls stayed in the match courtesy a Super Tackle from Amit Sheoran. However, they got the all-out in the final three minutes to level things up on the scoreboard. The Bulls were quick to react as they did well to end the half on a strong note with the lead of 22-16.
The second period of the match started with the second all-out of the match for the Bengaluru Bulls as they took a comfortable lead in the match. The Bulls continued to capitalize on the defensive lapses of the Telugu Titans and forced the third all-out of the match. Bulls maintained control of the match and ended up winning with a margin of 16 points (44-28).
Bengaluru Bulls
Rohit Kumar - (6/10)
Bengaluru Bulls skipper Rohit Kumar supported the young Pawan Kumar Sehrawat well in the raiding unit picking up four raid points including a two-pointer during a do or die situation. He even scored one tackle point for the team and finished with six raid points.
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat - (8.5/10)
The in-form raider of the Bulls' lineup had a good first half of the match picking up seven raid points, getting tackled just twice and was a handy help in the defence as well. He added another Super 10 to his season tally and finished with thirteen points on the night.
Kashiling Adake - (4/10)
Kashiling Adake was back in the squad for the Bulls tonight replacing Harish Naik in the raiding unit. He did well to support the leading raiders picking up three points.
Mahender Singh - (4/10)
The young defender had a slow start tonight not scoring any tackle points in the first half. He managed to do better in the second half picking up a couple of points with strong blocks.
Amit Sheoran - (6/10)
The left corner Amit Sheoran was in good touch for the Bulls' defence scoring strong ankle holds for the side. He finished the match just shy of a High 5 ending with four tackle points.
Raju Lal Choudhary - (3/10)
The right corner defender did not have tackle points on the board but did well to support his teammates with assists.
Ashish Kumar Sangwan - (6/10)
The cover defender picked up a couple of good tackle points in the second half and was a strong presence in the backline. He scored three tackle points on the night.
Telugu Titans
Vishal Bhardwaj - (4/10)
Telugu Titans skipper Vishal Bhardwaj was unable to impose himself in the defence like he usually does and had just one point in the first half of the match. He had an inefficient tackling ratio scoring two points and conceding five raid points.
Abozar Mighani - (2.5/10)
The Iranian right corner had a poor night in the defence giving away a lot of touch points and did not manage any tackle point. He was substituted in the second half of the match.
Farhad Milaghardan - (4/10)
The defender was a bit hasty with his tackle attempts allowing the Bulls' raiders to score easy touch points. He picked up one Super Tackle in the second half with a strong body hold on Rohit Kumar.
Mohsen Maghsoudlou - (7/10)
The all-rounder started the night well with a strong Super Tackle on Pawan Kumar Sehrawat in the first five minutes. He even managed to pick up a couple of raid points with two successful bonus attempts and almost got a High 5 finishing with four tackle points.
Anil Kumar - (3/10)
The defender was not effective for the Titans in the cover position and was replaced in the second half of the match after scoring one tackle point.
Rahul Chaudhari - (8.5/10)
The star raider of the Telugu Titans unit had a slow start but quickly raced to seven raid points after a Super Raid to trigger the comeback for the team. He reached his Super 10 in the second half and finished with thirteen raid points.
Nilesh Salunke - (3/10)
The second raider had a tough time scoring points tonight and put in the majority of empty raids scoring just one bonus point in the first half.