Visakhapatnam, Sep 11 (IANS) In the penultimate game of the first leg of PKL 12, U Mumba edged past the Patna Pirates in a nail-biting contest, pulling off a thrilling 40-39 victory at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Thursday.

Ayan Lohchab scripted history to become the first player to record successive 20-point games in PKL history, but was left heartbroken as a costly unforced error in the dying seconds tilted the game away from his side. For U Mumba, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh starred with a Super 10, while Anil made vital contributions in what turned out to be a high-scoring night.

U Mumba were quick off the blocks in this contest, as Vijay Kumar tackled Ayan Lohchab and Anil recorded a two-point raid to give the Season 2 champions a three-point lead. Milan Dahiya opened the scoring for the Patna Pirates, and they were soon back on level terms courtesy of a successful Do-or-Die raid from Ayan.

Zafardanesh then helped U Mumba regain the lead with a brilliant Super Raid, as his side began to take control of the game, opening up a six-point gap. On the brink of an ALL OUT, Ayan Lohchab stood tall for the Pirates with his brilliance on the offensive end, reducing the deficit to just two points, with the score at 9-11 after the first quarter.

U Mumba eventually inflicted the ALL OUT on their opponents, with captain Sunil Kumar leading the way through his first tackle of the night. The Anil Chaprana-led side looked defensively superior, maintaining a seven-point gap with under five minutes left in the first half.

Ayan Lohchab continued his fine form, completing his Super 10 in the opening half. Despite his best efforts, the Patna Pirates trailed by eight points at the break, with the score reading 23-15.

In the opening five minutes of the second half, the Patna Pirates came storming back into the contest. There was no stopping Ayan Lohchab, as his brilliance helped his side inflict their first ALL OUT and bring the scores level. The two teams continued to trade blows, with the scoreboard reading 29-29 heading into the final ten minutes.

Anil and Zafardanesh kept U Mumba in the fight, but Ayan remained unstoppable, keeping the Pirates narrowly ahead with a two-point lead as the clock ticked down to the last five minutes.

Zafardanesh then completed his Super 10, pulling U Mumba back on level terms at 34-34. However, the Pirates regained the advantage thanks to Ayan Lohchab’s sensational effort, as he notched up his second successive 20-point performance.

With under two minutes left, a timely Super Tackle from U Mumba cut the deficit to just one point. Zafardanesh struck with a four second raid to keep U Mumba in the game, levelling the scores with less than five seconds remaining as a tie-breaker seemed imminent and giving Ayan a final chance to seal victory in the last raid. But in the heat of the moment, he committed an unforced error by stepping into the lobby, a mistake that cost his team dearly and handed U Mumba the narrowest of wins.

–IANS

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