Hyderabad : The Jaipur Pink Panthers and the Bengal Warriorz played out a tightly contested and highly entertaining match at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. The Jaipur Pink Panthers had to work hard but eventually managed to win the contest with a 39-34 scoreline. For the Jaipur Pink Panthers, captain Arjun Deshwal scored 15 points, while Nitin Kumar registered 13 points of his own for the Bengal Warriorz.
Fazel Atrachali and the Bengal Warriorz began the game well, with the defensive unit working in tandem to foil a flurry of attacks from Jaipur Pink Panther in the early exchanges. Both sides were patient in the first phase of play, with the Bengal Warriorz working hard to hold onto a slender lead.
But at the midway stage of the first half, Arjun Deshwal wrestled the momentum away from the Bengal Warriorz. Shortly after, a solid tackle by Abhijeet Malik helped inflict an All-Out on the Bengal Warriorz, which helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers storm into the lead. And even though the Bengal Warriorz fought hard after that, it was Jaipur Pink Panthers who finished the first half with a three-point lead. At the half-time break, the Jaipur Pink Panthers led 21-18.
The two sides began the second half cautiously and weren’t keen on conceding any ground. While Fazel Atrachali led the Bengal Warriorz defence brilliantly, Arjun Deshwal was his talismanic self for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
With just under 10 minutes left in the contest, Abhijeet Malik inflicted an All-Out on the Bengal Warriorz, which helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers extend their lead to four points. At this point, the score read 29-25 in favour of the Jaipur Pink Panthers. It was an action-packed final phase of the game as Nitin Kumar brought Bengal Warriorz right back into the contest. The Jaipur Pink Panthers, who seemed to be one step ahead until then, were suddenly on the back foot.
But Abhishek KS’s super tackle sealed the contest for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, who walked off the mat with a closely contested win.
Brief Scorecard :
Bengal Warriorz : 34
Best Raider – Nitin Kumar (13 raid points)
Best Defender – Fazel Atrachali (5 tackle points)
Jaipur Pink Panthers : 39
Best Raider – Arjun Deshwal (15 raid points)
Best Defender – Abhijeet Malik (4 tackle points).
