Bengaluru Bulls Vs Puneri Paltan 25 October 2024

Full-Time
Bengaluru Bulls 22 - 36 Puneri Paltan

Well, the Bulls' miserable run continues as they just can't catch a break. They were second-best right from the first raid in this match as a complete team performance from the Puneri Paltan saw them register their third win of the season.

The Bulls' star raiders Pardeep Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar struggled to impact the game and while Pankaj tried his best in the 2nd half, they simply haven't posed enough threat to opposition defenses to contest in matches. Their defense fared better in the first half where they got three Super Tackles, but even that died down when they went up against Pankaj Mohite and Akash Shinde in the 2nd half.

For the Paltan, the points were spread around evenly, with the two corners having another solid outing, scoring four tackle points each. Aslam started well in the raiding department and so did Mohit Goyat, with Pankaj Mohite and the substitute Akash Shinde taking the baton of scoring raid points in the 2nd half.

The Puneri Paltan go top of the table with that win as the Bulls remain at the bottom of the pile. That's all we have from you in this Friday doubleheader. Join us again tomorrow for more exciting PKL action. For now, this is Shreyas bidding you adieu. Good night!

2nd Half, 40'
Bengaluru Bulls 22 - 36 Puneri Paltan

Neither team goes for it in the final minute and a half as the Puneri Paltan register a routine win over the Bengaluru Bulls. This result, unfortunately for the Bulls, never looked in doubt.

2nd Half, 39'
Bengaluru Bulls 22 - 36 Puneri Paltan

The Bulls' success in Super Tackle situations in the first half hasn't extended into the 2nd as Akash Shinde makes light work of the defense, escaping neatly from Nitin Rawal's attempted dash that's a tad too late.

Bengaluru review, but it's simply out of hope and holds no substance, and as expected, it's unsuccessful.

The Paltan call for a timeout to get a breather as they discuss strategy on how to close this game out. With a little over 90 seconds left, it's unlikely the Bulls even get one point from this.

2nd Half, 38'
Bengaluru Bulls 22 - 35 Puneri Paltan

Pankaj Mohite now contributing in defense, nailing the tackle on his namesake, as the Bulls are pegged back once again. Sanket Sawant now adds to his tally with a well-timed knee hold on Sushil.

Akshit Dhull is brought on as a substitute but he goes back to the bench immediately as Sanket Sawant claims his 2nd tackle point in 30 seconds, this time with a solid block.

2nd Half, 36'
Bengaluru Bulls 22 - 32 Puneri Paltan

Jai Bhagwan gets the big fish Gaurav Khatri with an energetic raid, drawing a rare loose challenge from the right corner. Ohh, he follows it up in a 1v4 situation as Abinesh Nadarajan gets it wrong with his attempted diving ankle hold, and suddenly the Paltan are back down to three.

Akash Shinde goes in to raid in a do-or-die raid situation and gets the kick on the run on Nitin Rawal and allays any fears the Paltan may have had.

2nd Half, 34'
Bengaluru Bulls 20 - 31 Puneri Paltan

Pankaj is keeping the Bulls in this, gaining confidence and getting the running hand touch on Sanket Sawant. However, the Paltan's endless reserve of talent is on show as Akash Shinde pegs back the Bulls' momentum with a kick on Saurabh Nandal, and taking the lead back to ten points for his side.

And that point from Akash just swings this game back in favor of the Puneri Paltan as Aman's diving double ankle hold is pitch perfect on Pankaj. He's up to four tackle points against his former side is Aman!

2nd Half, 32'
Bengaluru Bulls 19 - 29 Puneri Paltan

Abinesh Nadarajan's dash is a tad too late on Pankaj as the Bulls pull one back. Pankaj Mohite is up against it in a do-or-die raid with no bonus on offer, and Saurabh Nandal's double knee hold leaves him no chance of escape.

Ohh, Pankaj is a bundle of energy. His ability to raid from both sides of the court sees him showcase endless running that culminates in a surprise back kick that he unfurls on Aslam Inamdar, getting another point.

That's three on the trot for the Bulls since the timeout. The Bulls were on the receiving end of some harsh words from coach Randhir Sehrawat. What effect have those words had?

2nd Half, 30'
Bengaluru Bulls 16 - 29 Puneri Paltan

Gaurav Khatri has been playing with so much confidence this season and he toys with Sushil, faking a challenge and drawing him back in deep, with Abinesh Nadarajan capitalizing on the opening, dashing the raider off court with ease.

The whistle blows for the timeout, and the Paltan running away with this game. Can the Bulls devise a plan to at least secure one point from this match?

Akash Shinde comes on as a substitute for Mohit Goyat for the Puneri Paltan.

2nd Half, 28'
Bengaluru Bulls 16 - 28 Puneri Paltan

Sanket Sawant was a sitting duck for Ajinkya Pawar to tag on the way to the mid-line as the Bulls refuse to give up. However, any progress their raiders make, their defenders halt as the 7-man defense find it hard to stop the rampaging Pankaj Mohite.

Aman and Aslam then combine well to tackle Ajinkya Pawar and break the Bulls' run of raid points.

2nd Half, 26'
Bengaluru Bulls 15 - 25 Puneri Paltan

Pankaj, who seems capable of playing both as a left and right raider finds success operating as the latter, getting the diving hand touch on Abinesh Nadarajan. Aman then tries an advanced ankle hold on Pankaj, but he uses his height to get back to the mid-line.

However, Surinder is too slow to retreat from Pankaj Mohite's running hand touch in a do-or-die raid, and concedes a point back.

Well, the raid points slowly starting to flow for the Bulls as Ajinkya Pawar wisens up and expects the ankle hold from Mohit Goyat in that right-in position, escaping smartly from it.

2nd Half, 24'
Bengaluru Bulls 12 - 24 Puneri Paltan

The Bulls continue to rely on the do-or-die raid and the Super Tackle, but it doesn't come off this time around. Pankaj Mohite the man who steps up and breaks this streak, escaping from Nitin Rawal's attempted tackle, also getting Saurabh Nandal on the way.

The substitute Jai Bhagwan can't do much against an in-form Pune defense, with Mohit Goyat claiming the tackle point this time around, as the Bulls concede their 2nd all-out.

2nd Half, 22'
Bengaluru Bulls 11 - 19 Puneri Paltan

The Paltan draw first blood in the 2nd half as Sushil's feeble bonus attempt is met with a fierce ankle hold from Gaurav Khatri that's nearly impossible to escape from.

Pardeep Narwal is now off court, with Sushil taking his place as the raider.

Half-Time
Bengaluru Bulls 11 - 18 Puneri Paltan

Complete domination from the Paltan as the Bulls' raiders have struggled to score points against their defense. However, after getting an early out, they haven't been able to break the Bulls down a second time as they've held strong with three men or less on the mat, banking on the Super Tackle situation and doing so rather successfully.

However, the game is still definitely in the hands of the Paltan and it'll take an inspired raiding effort from a Bull for them to make a comeback, but they do possess plenty of capable players in their ranks. Can they make a comeback or will the Paltan run away with this? Let's find out.

1st Half, 20'
Bengaluru Bulls 11 - 18 Puneri Paltan

That's a rare error from the Paltan defense and Sanket Sawant is the culprit, with Sushil the beneficiary.

Final raid of the half and it's a do-or-die raid for Pune with the Super Tackle on, and once again, the Bulls get the job done. This is a strategy that's working for them. Aslam Inamdar the raider once again, but this time, Nitin Rawal on the left corner wisens up and doesn't go in for the tackle until the Pune captain comes in deep, and the support comes in instantly.

That brings to an end a one-sided half, but the Bulls have shown dogged resistance through their prowess in Super Tackle situations and stay in the game.

1st Half, 19'
Bengaluru Bulls 8 - 18 Puneri Paltan

Aslam Inamdar says enough is enough and does it himself, breaking the Bulls' run of Super Tackles and reducing them to two, anticipating and successfully evading the dash from Parteek.

Sushil can only manage a bonus during his raid, but Aslam doesn't even give the Bulls a chance to make a substitution and races in, boxing Saurabh Nandal in the right corner, and enticing either Sushil or Saurabh to commit to the tackle, but to their credit, they stay disciplined and don't take the bait.

1st Half, 16'
Bengaluru Bulls 7 - 17 Puneri Paltan

If there's one thing you need to know about the Bengaluru Bulls, they love a Super Tackle situation. They've looked the most comfortable when they have three on the mat tonight and it's Saurabh Nandal once again who initiates the challenge and the support comes from the other two.

However, the pattern of the Bulls getting a Super Tackle and the Paltan getting a tackle point at the other end continues as Ajinkya Pawar has no answer to Gaurav Khatri's trademark backhold.

Still the Paltan's game this as the Bulls down to three for the third time.

1st Half, 14'
Bengaluru Bulls 5 - 16 Puneri Paltan

Saurabh Nandal exhibits great composure and leadership as he puts in a solid block-double knee-hold to stop Pankaj Mohite and get a Super Tackle for his team.

At the other end, though, the Bulls are faced with a do-or-die raid, and for the third time tonight, Aslam Inamdar dives in with a pitch-perfect ankle hold that Pankaj just doesn't expect. 

1st Half, 12'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 15 Puneri Paltan

Nitin Rawal couldn't resist the dangling ankles of Mohit Goyat in a do-or-die raid in a 1v5 situation, and that's a point the Bulls will feel they shouldn't have conceded.

At the other end, Pardeep is unable to open his account for the night, this time falling to Sanket Sawant's challenge. The Bulls are down to three now and thinks are looking bleak.

1st Half, 10'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 13 Puneri Paltan

Well, if it's not enough that the Paltan were taking points from them, the Bulls now are gifting points to their opponents. Ajinkya Pawar slips while retreating in his raid, presenting Aman with one of the easiest tackle points he'll score.

As the whistle blows for the timeout, the Bulls camp must figure out a way to perform damage control here. They need to launch a mini-comeback right away if they want to stay in this game.

1st Half, 9'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 12 Puneri Paltan

Nitin Rawal nails his ankle hold on Mohit Goyat in a do-or-die raid, but Mohit manages to get the bonus so it doesn't impact the scoreboard much. In the next raid, the Bulls have a do-or-die raid and young Pankaj doesn't stand a chance against the rock-solid right chain of Sanket Sawant and Gaurav Khatri.

It's all Paltan right now.

1st Half, 7'
Bengaluru Bulls 2 - 10 Puneri Paltan

Finally, something goes the Bulls' way as Ajinkya Pawar steps up and removes Aslam Inamdar with a swift escape. 

The Bulls look to slow the game down now and try to play on the do-or-die raid.

1st Half, 5'
Bengaluru Bulls 1 - 9 Puneri Paltan

Mohit Goyat, what a raid that is! He's thrown in the deep end in a 1v4 situation in a do-or-die raid, and with the raid clock showing only 8 seconds, he knows he has to go for it, and he expects the diving tackle from Surinder, and creates his own momentum, escaping really skillfully from the other two defenders, using his reach to get to the mid-line.

That reduces the Bulls to just one, and it's Aslam Inamdar once again with the mighty block to get the Paltan the all-out. And guess what, we're not even five minutes into this game.

1st Half, 2'
Bengaluru Bulls 0 - 3 Puneri Paltan

And Aslam begins with aplomb. He's too swift with the toe touch on Parteek. Ohh, he strikes in defense too! Aslam gets his opposite number Pardeep Narwal with a solid backhold, sneaking up on the Record-Breaker.

Ajinkya Pawar now heads back to the bench as he runs right into the left chain of Aman and Mohit Goyat.

As always, impeccable start from the Paltan as the Bulls' woes continue.

Toss Update: The Bulls win the toss and choose court. The Paltan will raid first.

Right then, Aslam Inamdar will start us off.

We've just witnessed an absolute humdinger between the Pirates and the Thalaivas finish in favor of the former. As we wait for the start of the second match, finalize your Dream11 team with the right captaincy picks:

Get ahead of the curve and top your Dream11 leaderboards with the help of our powerful differential picks for this contest:

Ensure that you go into this match fully informed by going through our match preview that contains all you need to know about this fixture:

We're not too far away from the start of this match, and with the lineups out, it's time to make your Dream11 teams with the help of Sportskeeda's Dream11 Prediction:

Team News

Here's how the two teams line up for today's match:

Bengaluru Bulls: Pardeep Narwal (C), Saurabh Nandal, Nitin Rawal, Parteek, Surinder Singh, Ajinkya Pawar, and Pankaj.

Puneri Paltan: Aslam Inamdar (C), Pankaj Mohite, Mohit Goyat, Gaurav Khatri, Aman, Sanket Sawant, and Abinesh Nadarajan.

The Paltan remain unchanged despite their defeat to the Thalaivas while the Bulls make one change, with Jatin missing out on today's match. The promising raider is replaced by the all-rounder Pankaj.

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of the 11th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. In the second match of a double-header on Friday, October 25, the Bengaluru Bulls face off with the Puneri Paltan here at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

The Bulls have had a torrid start to PKL 11, losing all three of their matches so far, with the latest defeat a heavy one at the hands of the UP Yoddhas. Neither their defense nor the raiding department is delivering consistently, and they'll have to be at their best if they want to take anything from this game against the defending champions Puneri Paltan.

Bulls' former left corner Aman has impressed in his first couple of matches for the Paltan, and he'll be keen to put in an inspired performance in this fixture. In general, the Paltan have picked up where they left off last season but they had a rare off-day in their last match against the Tamil Thalaivas, with Mohit Goyat's solo act the only thing keeping the margin of defeat down to five. They'll want to get back to winning ways instantly.

With stars like Pardeep Narwal, Ajinkya Pawar, Aslam Inamdar, and Mohit Goyat in action, this should be a riveting encounter, and I, Shreyas, will take you through the action as it unfolds.