Mumbai: Patna Pirates beat Tamil Thalaivas 24-23 in a thrilling match of the Pro Kabaddi League season seven here on Monday.
The match was billed as an encounter between “The Showman” Rahul Chaudhari against the “Record Breaker” Pardeep Narwal, who are the two most successful raiders in Pro Kabaddi League history. But it turned out that the defence of Patna tilted the match in their favour with super tackles throughout the match.
Jaideep scored seven tackle points and was ably supported by young Monu who chipped in with a strong all-round performance. Rahul Chaudhari completed 900 raids, making history in the PKL and top-scored with five points for the Tamil Thalaivas.
Manjeet Chhillar, who also scored 300 tackle points in PKL, began the half strongly for Tamil Thalaivas as he tackled Pardeep Narwal and dangerman Jang Kun Lee. Jaideep, on the other hand, was a rock at the back for Patna Pirates and showed a tremendous amount of strength and toughness.
Rahul Chaudhari, who always delivered his best against Patna, got his first raid point in the 4th minute to give Thalaivasa 4-0 lead. It was one of those rare occasions when Pardeep Narwal failed to open his account in the first half. With Narwal misfiring, it was left to Patna’s defence to get the points on board.
At the end of the first half, both teams were levelled at 11 points each. Patna Pirates began the second half on the same note as they forced another super tackle to lead 14-13 after 27 minutes. Rahul Chaudhari picked up a two-point raid to level the match at 16-16. Patna Pirates then forced another tackle to take an 18-16 lead in the 32nd minute. In the 38th minute, Pardeep Narwal got his first point and sent Manjeet Chhillar to the bench. In the last minute, Rahul Chaudhari made an unforced error and handed Patna Pirates a victory in the end.