PKL: Bengaluru Bulls crush Gujarat Giants to seal Top-4 spot

Bengaluru Bulls were at their dominant best as they crushed Gujarat Giants 54-26 in their Pro Kabbadi League match at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, in New Delhi, on Thursday. 

With this comprehensive win, the Bulls not only secured two crucial points but also confirmed their place in the top four of the standings. 

The Bulls outclassed their opponents in every department -- from raiding to defence -- and never allowed the Giants to settle into the contest.

Bengaluru Bulls made a flying start against Gujarat Giants despite conceding the first point of the match. The Giants opened the scoring through a successful raid by Himanshu Singh, but the Bulls quickly bounced back. 

Alireza Mirzaian produced a brilliant two-point raid to turn the game in Bulls' favour at 2–1, and Deepak Sankar followed it up with a strong tackle to extend their lead.

The Bulls continued their aggressive play and completely dominated the early exchanges. Within the first three minutes, they inflicted an ALL OUT, taking a massive nine-point lead -- the fastest ALL OUT of the season for the Bulls and second fastest of the season.

Gujarat Giants picked up a few points, but Bengaluru Bulls were in total control. Their raiders and defenders worked in perfect coordination, keeping the Giants under pressure throughout. 

By the time the strategic time out was called in the first half, the Bulls had built a commanding 17-4 lead, showing their all-round dominance.

The Bulls carried their momentum into the next phase of the match, starting the resumption with a brilliant tackle that sent Aryavardhan Navale off the mat and added another point to their tally. Their defence looked sharp, and their coordination was spot on.

The Bulls continued to dominate every aspect of the game, and the highlight came soon after when they inflicted a second ALL OUT, extending their lead to 22–5. The team showed no signs of slowing down, maintaining relentless pressure on Gujarat Giants.

PKL: Patna Pirates confirm play-offs spot



In a convincing display, Patna Pirates confirmed their place in the top eight with a comprehensive 33-18

win against Jaipur Pink Panthers at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi. 

Despite a slow start, Ayan Lohchab led the way with eleven points on the night -- including two tackle points -- to help his side qualify for the play-ins, which seemed improbable at one stage of the tournament.

The Pink Panthers came flying out of the blocks to take a four-point lead in the early exchanges. Meetu got the ball rolling with a couple of points, while Mohit and Sahil Deswal registered tackles. 

Ankit Jaglan responded for the Pirates, opening their account with a tackle. Milan Dahiya also contributed on both ends of the mat, keeping his team within striking distance despite Sahil Deswal’s second tackle.

In the opening ten minutes, Ankit Rana bagged a successful Do-Or-Die Raid before Meetu and Ritik Sharma ensured that the Pink Panthers held a three-point lead. The Pirates got back on level terms with a Super Tackle and another tackle from Navdeep.

The narrow lead kept changing hands as Mohit gave the inaugural champions the lead before Deepak levelled things with a tackle again. Milan Dahiya’s successful Do-Or-Die Raid put the Pirates back in front, before a two-point raid from Vinay and a tackle from Deepanshu Khatri helped the Pink Panthers establish a 13-11 lead at halftime.

The tempo slowed down in the second half, with both teams resorting to the Do-Or-Die strategy. Meetu and Ankit Rana exchanged successful Do-or-Die Raids before Navdeep’s third tackle got Patna Pirates back on level terms. Nitin Rawal also registered his first tackle of the night, while Vinay and Ayan executed successful Do-Or-Die Raids to keep the two teams tied at 16-16 with ten minutes to play.

With the game seemingly going down to the wire, Ayan Lohchab eventually found his mojo as he registered his first points. His two-point raid enabled the Pirates to inflict an ALL OUT, giving them a six-point lead. They further extended that lead to eight points with five minutes to go in the match.

That put the Pirates in the driver's seat for the remainder of the contest. Despite his slow start, Ayan made his mark on both ends of the mat, including a couple of tackles in the final stages of the game to inflict another ALL OUT. That put the result beyond all doubt, confirming Patna Pirates' spot in the play-offs with a 33-18 win.