Patna Pirates, on Saturday (September 20), returned to winning ways in a spectacular style by defeating high-flying Dabang Delhi K.C. at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur. The three-time champions registered a 33-30 win to condemn Dabang Delhi to their first defeat of the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League 2025 (PKL 2025).
Before the start of the match, Patna Pirates had managed to win just one of their six games. On the other hand, Dabang Delhi had won all of their six matches. However, past form counted for little as the Patna-based outfit stunned the Delhi franchise to register a much-needed victory.
The victory has taken Patna Pirates to the ninth spot from 11th in the points table. Delhi missed the chance to reclaim the top spot and are currently at the second spot with six wins from seven matches.
PKL 2025: Patna Pirates clinch thriller
Super sub Ankit Rana starred for Patna Pirates, scoring 12 raid points as his team came from behind to clinch a stunning victory. Dabang Delhi looked the better side in the early phase with Neeraj Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar leading the charge for them. With Fazel Atrachali and Saurabh Nandal also looking solid in defence, Dabang Delhi were on the front foot early on.
For Patna Pirates, Ayan and Sudhakar made useful contributions to keep their side in touching distance. At the end of the 10-minute mark, Dabang Delhi had a 4-point lead. They started the second quarter strongly as well with Neeraj making the difference. He reached six points by halftime as Dabang Delhi extended their lead to 19-10 going into the break.
Patna Pirates needed a strong start after the break and they got it. Ayan led the charge in attack with his timely raids and got good support from Rana. Ankit Jaglan was a rock in defence for the Patna franchise. The Pirates turned the game around in the final quarter to snatch the victory from jaws of defeat. Rana and Jaglan stole the show in the final minutes to power Patna Pirates to a stunning victory.
Rana put Delhi on the backfoot with a flurry of raid points, including a match-defining all out while Jaglan stood firm on the other side of the match. In the final 10 minutes, the Pirates scored as many as 16 points to seal the victory.
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