New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Gujarat Giants kept themselves alive in the hunt for a top eight spot with a hard-fought 40-32 win against Patna Pirates at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night.

Mohammadreza Shadloui’s High Five and Himanshu Singh’s super 10 helped their side register their third win in four matches, as they seem to be finding momentum at the right time. For the Pirates, Mandeep Kumar’s super 10 went down in vain.

In a surprise move from the Giants, Shadloui scored the first point of the night with the first raid attempt. Ayan did the same for Patna Pirates, before Rakesh Sungroya’s two-point raid gave his side an early opening. Ankit Jaglan got his team back on level terms, and Patna Pirates eventually took a two-point lead with contributions from Mandeep Kumar and Navdeep.

However, the Giants responded strongly as Lucky Sharma registered the first Super Tackle of the match. Shadloui’s tackle and Rakesh’s two-point raid gave their side a 10-5 lead. Mandeep Kumar struck right back for the Pirates with a Super Raid, but Lucky Sharma and Himanshu Singh ensured that their side had a 12-8 advantage after the opening ten minutes.

Himanshu Singh and Mandeep Kumar exchanged raids in the second quarter, before a tackle from Nitin Panwar eventually helped Gujarat Giants inflict the first all out of the game, giving them a five-point lead (18-13). For Patna Pirates, Mandeep Kumar was keeping them in the game as he completed his Super 10, but his team still trailed 23-17 at the end of the first half.

Ayan began the second half by injecting some impetus for his side with Ankit Jaglan also helping the Pirates bring it down to a three-point deficit. Himanshu Singh carried on his fine run, helping the Giants regain their six-point lead with the two teams going toe-to-toe. With under ten minutes to go, Patna Pirates kept themselves within striking distance, closing the gap to two points with the score at 27-25.

Gujarat Giants opened up a six-point game courtesy a super tackle from Nitin Panwar and Mohammadreza Shadloui also registering a couple of tackles. Himanshu Singh also completed his Super 10, keeping his side in the driver’s seat. Patna Pirates weren’t prepared to throw in the towel yet though, as Ankit Jaglan’s Super Tackle got it down to 33-30 with under three minutes to go.

With under a minute to play, Ankit Rana brought it down to a two-point game for Patna Pirates. With the game coming down to the wire, Mohammadreza Shadloui stepped up with a crucial two-point raid and followed it up with a High Five. With their all-rounder coming in clutch, they completed another all out and put the result of the game beyond all doubt, prevailing 40-32 in an engaging encounter.

–IANS

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