PKL 9: Sachin leads Patna Pirates to narrow victory against Telugu Titans

Hyderabad: Superb raiding and stubborn defending by Sachin helped Patna Pirates ignore the pressure of a partisan home crowd as they defeated the Telugu Titans 36-35 in a high-scoring game of kabaddi at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.

Siddharth Desai’s 15 points — on a day when he also reached 600 raid points in the league — was the highlight of the day for the Titans. But in the end, Sachin’s efforts helped the Pirates overcome all hurdles.

The game kicked off with Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh tackling Desai on the very first raid of the evening. The clash between the two was the highlight of the day, and in the beginning stages, it looked like Chiyaneh had Desai’s number. But soon enough it proved to not be the case.

As the game rolled on, Desai caught Chiyaneh out on multiple occasions, and in the process ensured his team surged ahead in the early going. Against pre-game expectations, it was the Titans who inflicted the first All-Out of the evening, as they took an 11-7 lead.

The Pirates rallied after that All-Out, and a combination of Sachin’s raiding and stubborn defending helped them claw back and soon they inflicted an All-Out of their own, turning the tables to take a 16-14 lead. By now, the momentum had shifted and the Pirates went into the break leading 22-17.

The Pirates refused to let go of their stranglehold on the game as the second half kicked off, and yet the Titans refused to buckle under.

The Desai-Chiyaneh battle continued unabated, with the raider winning most of the battles. Despite a spate of strong defending by the Titans, the Pirates inflicted a second All-Out on them to take a 10-point lead.

Urged by their home fans, the Titans rallied together and clawed back the points to avoid going home with nothing.

Desai’s strong game continued and he completed his 15th point of the game with just a few minutes left. On the last raid of the evening, the Titans inflicted a second All-Out of their own, but in the end, it proved too little too late as they lost by one point.