Tamil Thalaivas attained a big lead at the end of the first half of their vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 game against Bengal Warriors, but the Season 7 champions put on a strong fight in the second half at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. However, Narender kept pulling off raids and eventually helped Tamil Thalaivas win 35-30 in the end.
Narender picked up a few raids as Tamil Thalaivas took the lead at 5-3 in the 4th minute. However, the Warriors tackled Narender soon after and stayed in the game at 5-7. Ajinkya Pawar then stepped up his game and reduced the Warriors to just three players on the mat. Deepak Hooda also found it difficult to break the Thalaivas’ defence as the southerners took a sizeable lead at 10-5 in the 11th minute.
But, Balaji D and Manoj Gowda carried out a Super Tackle to avoid an All-Out and reduced the gap between the two sides. Moments later, Gowda effected a fantastic raid as the Warriors reached within touching distance of the Thalaivas’ score at 10-11. However, the Thalaivas attained the momentum again and inflicted an All-Out to take the lead at 17-11 in the 18th minute. The Thalaivas kept raging on and led at 21-13 by the end of the first half.
The Thalaivas’ defensive unit led by captain Sagar tackled Maninder Singh in the opening minutes of the second half as they took a 22-15 lead. Thereafter, Maninder carried out a couple of brilliant raids, but the Thalaivas still held the lead at 24-20 in the 29th minute. Narender and Ajinkya Pawar helped Tamil Thalaivas extend its lead after picking up successive raids, but moments later, Maninder pulled off a Super Raid to keep the Warriors in the game at 25-27.
However, Narender brought the momentum towards the Thalaivas, soon after, with a magnificent two-point raid. The star raider kept picking up points as the Thalaivas continued to hold the lead at 31-29 in the 38th minute. The Warriors threatened to level the score in the last two minutes, but the Thalaivas carried out a Super Tackle in the last minute of the match and sealed the deal in the end.
Top Performers
Tamil Thalaivas
Best Raider – Narender (13 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Sagar (5 Tackle Points)
Bengal Warriors
Best Raider – Maninder Singh (15 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Surender Nada (3 Tackle Points)