Visakhapatnam, Sep 4 (IANS) The Telugu Titans secured their first win of the Pro Kabaddi League season 12 after beating Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-32 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Thursday. An all-round performance, led by eight points for skipper Vijay Malik and raider Bharat Hooda each, and Ajit Pawar’s High Five, helped the Telugu Titans to the two points. Meanwhile, Nitin Kumar Dhankar’s 13 points went in vain.

The opening 10 minutes of the clash saw both sides trade blows in a cagey start. Telugu Titans managed to edge ahead 7-5, with their defence holding firm and denying their opponents’ raiders much room to operate. The Titans’ Bharat stamped his authority on the contest with impactful raids. He sent Ronak Singh and Meetu to the bench in a two-point strike and followed it up with another successful raid that dismissed Sahil Satpal.

The Pink Panthers, however, found a spark in defence when Nitin Rawal executed a brilliant Super Tackle on Bharat, briefly swinging momentum back their way. However, Bharat’s sharp raiding ensured the Titans held on to a slender lead, keeping the pressure firmly on the two-time champions.

The first half continued to swing in favour of the Telugu Titans, who stamped their authority with a decisive ALL OUT in the 13th minute. Reza Mirbagheri’s unsuccessful raid opened the door for Ajit Pawar and the Titans’ defence to wipe out the Panthers, putting them on the back foot. Bharat continued to cause problems for Jaipur, while Vijay Malik kept the scoreboard ticking with steady raids.

Chetan Sahu’s Do-Or-Die raid added to the Pink Panthers’ woes, and Ajit Pawar struck again to pin Ali Samadi down. Even with tactical substitutions, the Pink Panthers could not break through the disciplined Titans’ defence. By half-time, the Titans had opened up a commanding 16-9 lead, leaving their opponents with plenty to do in the second half.

The third phase of the contest saw Jaipur Pink Panthers push hard to reduce the deficit, with Nitin Kumar leading their charge. He struck with back-to-back raids, sending Chetan Sahu and Avi Duhan off the mat, while Reza Mirbagheri added to the fight with strong defensive plays, pinning down Vijay Malik and later Bharat, ensuring the Pink Panthers Jaipur kept themselves within striking distance.

But the Telugu Titans’ defence had their say too, producing a crucial Super Tackle through Ajit Pawar that halted Ali Samadi’s raid and restored their control. Deepanshu Khatri replied with a defensive success for the Pink Panthers, but the Titans once again found rhythm with Chetan Sahu’s Do-Or-Die raid on Aashish Kumar. By the 30-minute mark, the Titans maintained a 23-16 lead.

With the match hanging in the balance, Nitin Kumar started off the fourth quarter with a Super Raid that reduced the Titans to just one player. However, in response, Bharat got a Super Raid as well, getting Sahil Satpal and Reza Mirbagheri, along with a bonus point.

Soon after, Nitin Kumar proved why he was among the top raiders in the league this season. He got Amir Ejlali, and then skipper Nitin Rawal got Vijay Malik as the first ALL OUT was finally inflicted on the Telugu Titans in the fifth minute.

As the match entered the final three minutes, Nitin completed his Super 10 with yet another multi-point raid that got Ankit and Avi Duhan. This reduced the deficit to just three points, and with the fans on the edge of their seats, Vijay Malik put the nail in the coffin with a Super Raid, as the final score read 37-32 in what was the Titans’ first victory in seven matches against the two-time champions.

–IANS

hs/bsk/