New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) U Mumba rode on a brilliant show from Ajit Chouhan and the defence to clinch a 37-36 win against Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, New Delhi on Tuesday. With this win, U Mumba have moved to fourth place in the points table, and are in contention to finish in the Top 4.

U Mumba opened the scoring with a successful raid from Ajit Chouhan, but Jaipur Pink Panthers quickly hit back through Nitin Kumar’s smart raid to level the scores. Both teams continued to exchange points in the early minutes, keeping the contest intense and evenly balanced.

Nitin Kumar then produced a brilliant multi-point raid, earning two crucial points to give the Panthers the lead. Their defence followed up strongly, with Deepanshu Khatri executing a fine tackle to extend their advantage, though U Mumba managed to grab a bonus point to stay within touching distance.

Despite U Mumba’s efforts, the Panthers held on to a two-point lead. However, U Mumba’s defence came alive soon after with a superb Super Tackle that brought the scores level again at 8-8. Jaipur Pink Panthers quickly regained control with another excellent tackle from Deepanshu Khatri, and by the time the Strategic Time Out was called in the first half, the Panthers were narrowly ahead at 8-9.

When play resumed, both teams began cautiously with a couple of empty raids before U Mumba broke the deadlock with a brilliant Super Tackle, taking a 10-9 lead. Soon after, Sathish Kannan added another point with a successful raid to extend their advantage.

U Mumba continued to build momentum, displaying an all-round performance with both raiders and defenders contributing effectively. Their strong defence and sharp raiding helped them widen the gap further, putting pressure on the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

The turning point came when U Mumba inflicted an All Out, taking full control of the match and stretching their lead to 19-12. They maintained their dominance in the closing minutes of the half, and by the time the whistle blew for halftime, U Mumba were comfortably ahead with a 22-12 lead.

The second half followed a similar pattern as U Mumba kept control. Parvesh Bhainswal opened the scoring after the break with a brilliant tackle to add a point for U Mumba. The Jaipur Pink Panthers fought back as Deepanshu Khatri hit a tackle for a point, and Nitin Kumar followed with a successful raid.

Ajit Chouhan then produced a big moment for U Mumba with a Super Raid, earning three points and completing his Super 10. U Mumba kept the pressure on, and another strong tackle pushed the score to 29-17 in their favour.

The Panthers responded through Parvinder, who delivered a Super Raid to fetch three points and reduce the gap to 29-22. The Panthers added another point before the Strategic Time Out, with the score reading 29-23 at the break.

As play resumed, the Jaipur Pink Panthers started strongly, inflicting an All Out right away to cut the deficit to 29-26. Soon after, a brilliant tackle from Deepanshu Khatri brought the gap down to just two points. During this period, Nitin Kumar also completed his Super 10, continuing his fine form.

Both teams traded points in the final minutes, but U Mumba held their nerve and maintained their lead to seal a win.

–IANS

bsk/