PKL: Brilliant performances from Sandeep and Ankit help Patna Pirates tie with Bengaluru Bulls to end home leg unbeaten

Patna: Patna Pirates extended their unbeaten run at home as they shared points with the Bengaluru Bulls in a pulsating 28-28 tie in the Pro Kabaddi League match at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium in Patna on Wednesday.

Patna Pirates’ Sandeep Kumar (14 raid points) and Ankit (8 tackle points) were the star performers of the enthralling encounter.

Bengaluru Bulls had a fresh raiding lineup today and Sushil made all the difference in the opening minutes. The youngster produced a magnificent super raid to put his team 5-1 ahead and reduce the opposition to just 2 men. The home side, who were missing their captain Sachin, recovered well to avoid the all-out and fought back through Ankit in defence and raider Sandeep to draw level at 8-8.

Akshit turned up for the Bengaluru Bulls as he chipped away at the Patna Pirates’ defence and a superb chain tackle on Sandeep led to the all-out in the 16th minute. The side from Karnataka took a 14-10 lead and the opening half came to an end with a 2-point raid from Patna Pirates captain Manjeet.

Sandeep stepped up big time for the Patna Pirates in the 2nd half as he starred with a series of spectacular raids, which included 2 multi-point raids. One of those saw him escape Monu’s attempted ankle hold and then land a running hand touch on Parteek to bring up his 1st super 10 of the season. Ankit was also particularly good for the home team as he excelled with a High 5 as they took the lead at 26-25 with 5 minutes to go.

It all boiled down to the final few minutes as Sandeep and Ankit combined to give Patna Pirates a 1-point lead at 29-28 with less than 2 minutes to go.

Patna Pirates had a couple of reviews go their way and looked set to pick up a win, but Bharat came off the bench for Bengaluru Bulls and landed a running hand touch on Krishan Dhull in the penultimate raid to tie the scores and wrap up a thrilling contest. In the process, Patna Pirates became just the 2nd team to remain unbeaten in their home leg this season along with Jaipur Pink Panthers.

–IANS