PKL 12: Nitin Kumar leads Jaipur Pink Panthers to comeback win over U Mumba in tie-breaker

Jaipur, Sep 23 (IANS) Jaipur Pink Panthers clinched a nail-biting contest against U Mumba, registering a 6-4 win in the tie-break after the two sides were tied at 38-38 at the end of regulation time in their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 clash at the SMS Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.

Nitin Kumar registered a Super 10, while Reza Mirbagheri and Vinay contributed with four tackles and six raids, respectively. For U Mumba, Sandeep’s Super 10 went in vain.

Jaipur Pink Panthers hit the ground running, racing away to a 6-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. Nitin Kumar was wreaking havoc with four of those points, while Aryan Kumar and Reza Mirbagheri bagged a couple of tackle points to allow the hosts to take control of the game. Sathish Kannan opened U Mumba’s account with a bonus point, but his team had plenty of catching up to do.

Jaipur Pink Panthers made that early momentum count, inflicting an All Out to take a commanding lead with the score at 9-1. Ali Samadi then made his presence felt on both ends of the mat, further extending the lead to double digits for the home side. Tackles from Lokesh Ghosliya and Parvesh Bhainswal ignited some spark for U Mumba as they cut the deficit to 12-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Sandeep Kumar kept the scoreboard ticking as the raider, while U Mumba’s defence eventually found their groove to storm back into the contest. A tackle from Lokesh Ghosliya helped them inflict an All Out on the hosts, making it a two-point game. That was followed up by a Super Raid from Sandeep Kumar, giving U Mumba a one-point lead.

In this edge-of-the-seat thriller, both teams traded blows in the first half. While the first ten minutes belonged to Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba thoroughly dominated the second quarter, outscoring their opponents by eight points. As a result, the Season two champions held the lead at 17-16 after an enthralling first half.

The two teams continued to go toe-to-toe before U Mumba raised the level once again. They inflicted a second All Out on the Pink Panthers, courtesy of their defensive prowess. Meanwhile, Sandeep Kumar was stellar on the offensive end, completing his Super 10 with a Super Raid and helping his side execute another All Out, extending their lead to nine points with the score at 33-24.

Sunil Kumar bagged his first points of the game with a tackle on Ali Samadi, as U Mumba slowed down the tempo of the game to keep their lead intact. Reza Mirbagheri and Nitin Kumar did their bit to try and keep the Pink Panthers in the game as eight points separated the two sides with under five minutes to play.

This humdinger of a game continued to deliver twists and turns till the very end. Jaipur Pink Panthers roared back in the contest in the dying embers, courtesy of Nitin Kumar completing his Super 10. The raider closed the gap to one point with under a minute to play, before a tackle from Deepanshu Khatri levelled the scores at 38-38, forcing the first tie-breaker of the Jaipur leg.

After scripting a memorable comeback in regulation time, Jaipur Pink Panthers held their nerve in the tie-breaker. Their raiders saved their best for last, delivering when it mattered the most, to secure a 6-4 win in the tie-breaker.

--IANS

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