The race to the playoffs is heating up as the first stage of the Pro Kabaddi League 8 is nearing its end. It was an important game for Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba, both in the race for the playoffs. The Panthers displayed a better game on the night and advanced their chances of qualifying. They won by a huge margin on the back of a splendid performance from Arjun Deswal who scored 17 raid points.
For Mumba, no one really had a great game. Fazel Atrachali once again failed to contribute much in defence, while consistent performer Abhishek Singh could manage only five raid points. V Ajith did score a Super 10, which proved to be not enough for Mumba.
This loss will hurt them very much as they now only have two games to go, and they are currently ninth with only 53 points. JPP, in turn, have given themselves a fair shot at the playoffs as they are now at the seventh position with 57 points from 20 games.
In the second match of the night, Bengaluru Bulls lost to Patna Pirates and have taken a hit as far as their chances to qualify for the playoffs is concerned.
Had the Bulls won the game, they could have sat comfortably with a position in the next phase, but a loss means that now they would have to depend on other results going their way.
The Pirates have already qualified for Qualifier 1, and they could have tested their bench strength, but coach Ram Mehar Singh decided to play with his A team.
It was once again PP strong defence who led their win as the pair of Sunil and Mohammed Chiyaneh scored a combined 12 tackle points. Pawan Kumar Sherawat had a bad night as he got tackled eight times and could only earn seven raid points.
This loss now means that the Bulls have only 61 points from 21 games. They are fifth on the points table with just one game to go.
Puneri Paltan have been playing non-stop. The game against Tamil Thalaivas was their fifth game in six days. But the Paltan showed no signs of any fatigue as they crushed the opposition in the race to the playoffs. Paltan’s win was led by their young stars once again.
Aslam Imandar and Mohit Goyat starred with 14 raid points and five tackle points. They were ably supported by Vishal Bhardwaj and Sombir, who also managed four and three tackle points, respectively.
The Thailavas defence had a completely off day as Sagar and Surjeet could only manage four tackle points.
This loss is going to hurt the Thailavas a lot as it has almost ensured that they are out of contention for a playoff place. Paltan are now one the sixth spot.
