Patna Pirates Vs Puneri Paltan 16 December 2024

FULL TIME 40' Patna Pirates 37-32 Puneri Paltan

A fitting end to the match with the Paltan defense capturing Devank for the sixth time but that does not matter as it is Patna Pirates who win this and move to the third spot on the points table 

It was a lion-hearted effort from the Paltan with the entire crowd egging them on but the Patna Pirates have shown why they are one of the top teams this time around and they have left the Paltan with the slimmest of chances to get through to the playoffs now

Devank, inspite of being tackled 6 times in the match, finishes with 11 raid points. I'm not sure how he managed that to be honest. Ayan played a big part specially in the first half when Devank was struggling (for a change) and he picked up 9 raid points. Their corners had a good day too with Shubham Shinde getting a high- 5 and Ankit getting 4 tackle points.

For the Paltan, it was Abinesh Nadarajan and his heroics in raid, surprisingly, which kept them in the game for a long time. He ended up with 6 raid points, joint-most for Paltan along with Akash Shinde. Aman got 6 tackle points in which 2 were super tackles in a period when the defense of Paltan was putting up a clinic.

Time for me(Sourabh) to catch my breath after this riveting encounter. Good night and good bye

39' Patna Pirates 37-30 Puneri Paltan

Aryavardhan gets tackled and this is all but over for the Paltan now

38' Patna Pirates 36-30 Puneri Paltan

Aryavardhan Navale responds with a 2-pointer of his own and we still have some life left in this contest. 100 seconds remain on the clock and the gap between both the teams is 6 points

38' Patna Pirates 36-28 Puneri Paltan

Two-pointer for Ayan and that should be it for the Paltan

37' Patna Pirates 34-28 Puneri Paltan

Devank picks up a bonus in a do-or-die raid and then Akash Shinde gets tackled. Less than 3 minutes to go for the end of the match and this might be a bridge too far now for the Paltan

36' Patna Pirates 32-28 Puneri Paltan

Shubham Shinde gets a leaping Pankaj Mohite back to the mat and the lead goes back upto 4 for the Paltan

35' Patna Pirates 31-28 Puneri Paltan

Paltan are still not out of this! Their defense gets a successful advance tackle on Ayan and then a big kick from Pankaj Mohite forces Ankit into the lobbies without a touch in the left corner

33' Patna Pirates 31-26 Puneri Paltan

Lead back to 5 for the Pirates! They sent Akash Shinde back to the bench first and then the sub-raider Aryavardhan Navale

32' Patna Pirates 29-26 Puneri Paltan

A do-or-die sequence for both the teams and both the raiders are successful. Akash Shinde got a touch point and then Ayan was granted a bonus by the Paltan defense

30' Patna Pirates 28-25 Puneri Paltan

Gurdeep stepped out of bounds and then got involved in a tackle against Akash Shinde and the point wad granted to Paltan and then a huge tackle with all men from Paltan combing to pin down Devank who is off to the bench for the fifth time today. Gosh, this game is not for the weak-hearted!

28' Patna Pirates 28-23 Puneri Paltan

No super tackle this time and Devank cleans up the Paltan! Yet again there was two men on the court and this time it was too much for them to do as Devank ushered both of them off and got the all-out, 5 point lead for the Pirates

27' Patna Pirates 23-23 Puneri Paltan

Puneri Paltan are putting on a super tackle masterclass! Yet another one on Ayan this time, Aman and Sanket Sawant the defenders in action and the scores are level

26' Patna Pirates 22-21 Puneri Paltan

Another super tackle on Devank! Aman dives for his ankles and Pankaj Mohite joined in to send the big man back to the bench. This is a proper thriller, folks!

24' Patna Pirates 22-18 Puneri Paltan

Patna Pirates have turned it all around in a jiffy! Their main man Devank is on fire at the start of the second half and he has reduced the Paltan to just two men

22' Patna Pirates 20-18 Puneri Paltan

Devank is back ladies and gentleman! He picks up 4 points in two raids and now we're talking, Paltan need to answer back

21' Patna Pirates 16-17 Puneri Paltan

Finally the Puneri Paltan are all-out! But Paltan are still in the lead courtesy Abinesh who got captured finally. This is some thrilling action

HALF TIME 20' Patna Pirates 13-16 Puneri Paltan

Abinesh Nadarajan has single-handedly kept the Paltan in this game as we go to the half-time break. 

They were down to 2 men once more as Ayan brushed aside an attempted block from Sanket Sawant and then we were going down the same route again. Abinesh was the lone man once more with time left for just the one raid in the half and he went in to raid against a full-strength Patna unit and for a change this time he returned with just a bonus point.

Really tactical move from him as Paltan will raid first in the second half and he will have another go at it. He is a pure defender, if I may add, but has picked up 5 raid points, a few of which have been sloppy ones conceded by Pirates.

Ayan has picked up 6 raid points for the Pirates but the big news has been Devank Dalal picking up just 3 raid points in an entire half. 

Phew! I need a breather, the second half is about to start in just a bit

18' Patna Pirates 11-15 Puneri Paltan

Abinesh Nadarajan what have you had for dinner tonight! Once again he was the sole man remaining for the Paltan and yet again he goes in, picks up a bonus and then gets a touch on Gurdeep who was absolutely frustrated

17' Patna Pirates 11-13 Puneri Paltan

Patna capture Pankaj Mohite in a do-or-die raid! This contest just keeps giving and yet again Paltan are down to 2 men

14' Patna Pirates 10-13 Puneri Paltan

Devank gets super tackled and the Balewadi is on its feet! Abinesh Nadarajan was the sole man remaining for them and he got a soft point from Ankit in the right corner and then Devank went in to raid only to be tackled by the might of Pankaj Mohite and Abinesh who got the better of the big man in a huge struggle

12' Patna Pirates 9-8 Puneri Paltan

Devank revives Ayan who reduces Paltan to 2 men! Mohit Goyat went for the backhold on Ayan but he was too close to the midline and got back

11' Patna Pirates 7-7 Puneri Paltan

Back level again! Akash Shinde gets a slick toe touch on the big man Ayan and sends him to the bench

10' Patna Pirates 7-6 Puneri Paltan
 
All of a sudden Paltan are down to 3 men! Ayan has picked up 3 raid points so far and he is doing a brilliant job when Devank has been quiet. This is the challenge when you play against the Pirates, you have to deal with 2 top-quality raiders and not just 1. 

We are at the first strategic break and the action has been electric so far with the crowd right behind the home team, Paltan

9' Patna Pirates 6-6 Puneri Paltan

First raid point for Devank and it took 9 minutes! The season's biggest raider has been kept quiet so far but he finally gets off the mark with a touch and a turn on Gaurav Khatri. The scores are level

8' Patna Pirates 3-6 Puneri Paltan

Paltan mean business tonight! A couple of raid points, first for Pankaj Mohite and then Mohit Goyat and the Pirates are down to 4

6' Patna Pirates 3-4 Puneri Paltan

Ayan removes Gaurav Khatri in a do-or-die raid! A slick escape from a toe touch in the right corner and that is the first raid point for Patna Pirates

4' Patna Pirates 2-4 Puneri Paltan

First raid point of the game in the 4th minute! Pankaj Mohite uses his escape skills to return to his own half and the crowd roars again

3' Patna Pirates 2-3 Puneri Paltan

The defenses are on fire! Patna responded with the tackle on Pankaj Mohite as Ankit snapped up his ankles and then we witnessed some breathtaking tackles on Ayan and then Devank again. Mohit Goyat was caught up by the Pirate defense too as Ankit got his second tackle point

1' Patna Pirates 0-1 Puneri Paltan

Devank is on the bench straightaway and the crowd at Balewadi is roaring! The left corner Aman gets his ankles and the rest of the defence pounce

Here is a look at the all-important starting 7s of both the teams for tonight's contest:

Patna Pirates: Ankit (C), Devank, Sudhakar M, Ayan, Deepak, Gurdeep, Shubham Shinde
Puneri Paltan: Abinesh Nadarajan, Mohit Goyat, Sanket Sawant, Pankaj Mohite, Gaurav Khatri, Akash Shinde (C), Aman

Gurdeep finds a place in the starting-7 of the Pirates as he replaces the all-rounder Arkam Shaikh in a like-for-like swap while there are no changes in the Puneri lineup as expected

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League, 2024. Tonight's second encounter will witness the Patna Pirates lock horns with Puneri Paltan at Balewadi Stadium, Pune. 

Both teams are in contention for a playoffs spot but it is the Patna Pirates who will be eyeing a top 2 finish. Having four matches left to play, the Pirates have more games left under their belt than all their other competitors gunning for the second-place finish. The duo of Devank and Ayan have ran riot whenever the Pirates have taken the mat. Currently placed fourth, the Pirates will be hoping to get five points under their belt. 

However, a team that will be a little more desperate for the five points on offer tonight will be home team Puneri Paltan. A terrible start to their home leg saw them lose three matches on the trot. However, in their previous encounter, they turned it around to hand the Bulls an embarrassing 56-18 loss. They will hope to carry that confidence into this game as the defending champions look to stay in the fray of a playoffs position. 

Promises to be an exciting contest! Sit back, relax and enjoy as Sourabh takes you through all that unfolds tonight!