Pune: It was an action-packed contest between the Patna Pirates and the Gujarat Giants on Saturday, in the Badminton Hall, at the Balewadi Sports Complex, in PKL Season 11. While the Gujarat Giants led for most of the game, but eventually the Patna Pirates clinched a draw with the score at 40-40. For the Patna Pirates, who are looking for a top 2 finish, Devank got a Super 10 while Sudhakar M score 7 points. For the Gujarat Giants, Guman Singh and Jitender Yadav scored 8 points each and Rakesh top scored with 9 of his own.
The Gujarat Giants were out of the blocks faster than the Patna Pirates. But after the first few minutes, the Patna Pirates’ raiders got going. Guman Singh and the Gujarat Giants responded with a three-point raid right after that, which put them in the box seat after the first five minutes. The Gujarat Giants then piled on the misery with an ALL OUT, which put a 6-point difference between the two sides.
Guman Singh, Neeraj and Jitender Yadav were combining well but at the other end, Devank and Ayan were starting to mount a comeback. The Gujarat Giants had a healthy 6-point lead midway through the first half. Their defence were doing well to keep the dangerous duo of Devank and Ayan quiet with just under 4 minutes to go. In the final minutes of the first half, Devank and Sudhakar M started to chip away at the lead, but the Gujarat Giants continued to control the game. At the break, the Gujarat Giants led 22-18.
Devank and the Patna Pirates came out of the break firing on all cylinders. Devank kicked things off and then the defence landed an ALL OUT, which brought the deficit down to 2 points. Suddenly the Gujarat Giants didn’t have the momentum as the Patna Pirates began to flex their muscles. But the Gujarat Giants were just about holding onto the lead.
At the half-hour mark, it was a 1-point lead that the Gujarat Giants had. But Devank, Sudhakar, and Navdeep were leading the fightback. With 9 minutes to go, Ayan levelled things up for the Patna Pirates but the Gujarat Giants weren’t buckling under pressure. A couple of important Super Tackles for the Gujarat Giants, helped them get back into the lead in the final phase of play.
With just under 4 minutes to, the Gujarat Giants had a 6-point lead. But Ayan then scored an ALL OUT, and the Patna Pirates were back to within one-point of their opponents. Sudhakar M was looking to score crucial points in the final minutes and Devank got his Super 10 right at the end, as the teams shared the spoils on the day.
Schedule for PKL Season 11 match on Sunday, December 22:
Match 1 – Tamil Thalaivas vs Bengaluru Bulls – 8 pm
Match 2 – Haryana Steelers vs U Mumba – 9 pm
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