Jaipur Pink Panthers registered a thrilling 39-36 victory over Patna Pirates at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Tuesday (September 2). While the Jaipur-based outfit began its PKL 2025 campaign with a win, the Pirates were reduced to their second consecutive defeat.
For the second match in a row, the Pirates came up with a spirited performance but still ended up on the losing side. For Jaipur Pink Panthers, Nitin Kumar Dhankar was the standout performer, scoring 13 raid while Ali Samadi Choubtarash impressed on his debut by scoring 8 points. For the Patna-based outfit, Maninder Singh and Sudharkar Maruthamuthu registered 15 and 9 raid points respectively but their efforts eventually went in vain.
PKL 2025: Jaipur Pink Panthers clinches thriller
Maninder opened the scoring before Ronak Singh came up with a tackle. Jaipur Pink Panthers were the better side in the early stages but Patna Pirates managed to stay on level terms thanks to a two-point raid from Sudhakar.
After getting the early momentum, Jaipur Pink Panthers made the most of it. They had a 10-8 lead after the first ten minutes. Soon, a tackle from Reza Mirbagheri helped them inflict an all out on the Pirates and open up a five-point lead.
The Pirates, however, refused to back down as they remained in hunt by showing some resilience towards the end of the half. The likes of Maninder and Ayan Lohchab made crucial contribution for the Pirates although the Pink Panthers held a deserved 21-16 lead at halftime.
The Pink Panthers started the second half in a strong fashion as well to stay on the front foot thanks to Nitin Kumar completing his Super 10. Nitin looked unstoppable during the match and was only dismissed on his 17th raid attempt.
At the same time, the Pirates remained within striking distance thanks to Maninder’s constant contribution. He completed his Super 10 in the second half and received good support from the likes of Lohchab and Sudhakar.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, the Pink Panthers managed to keep a six-point lead. Maninder reduced the gap to four points with a two-point raid to keep his team within touching distance. However, his and his teammates’ valiant effort eventually went in vain as the Pink Panthers won the game by three points.
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