Pune: Tamil Thalaivas started their Pune leg with renewed energy and came out all guns blazing under their new head coach Ashan Kumar in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune on Friday. Narender put on a superb performance with 13 points in the match and helped the Thalaivas register a 38-27 victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Tamil Thalaivas got off to a stupendous start as they inflicted an All-Out in the 6th minute and took a massive lead at 12-1. V Ajith Kumar tried to fight back for the Panthers, but the Thalaivas’ defender M. Abishek stood tall as his team continued to extend their lead. The Thalaivas then tackled Arjun Deshwal in the 14th minute and attained a 12-point lead at 17-5. Their defenders were backed up brilliantly by Narender’s raids as the Thalaivas led at 20-8 by the end of the first half.
Narender helped tackle Sunil Kumar as the Thalaivas inflicted an All-Out in the opening minutes of the second half. Defender Himanshu also joined the party as the Thalaivas took a 16-point lead at 27-11 in the 28th minute. Deshwal then effected a fantastic raid, but the Panthers couldn’t find a way to pick up points consistently.
Narender continued to carry out raids as the Thalaivas dominated the match at 32-16 in the 35th minute. The Panthers inflicted an All-Out in the 37th minute, but the Thalaivas still held a big lead at 32-23. They kept raging on and eventually closed out a comprehensive victory.
Top Performers
Tamil Thalaivas: Best Raider – Narender (13 Raid Points); Best Defender – Himanshu (4 Tackle Points)
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Best Raider – Arjun Deshwal (9 Raid Points); Best Defender – Ankush (4 Tackle Points)
