HYDERABAD, Dec 5: Puneri Paltan comprehensively defeated Patna Pirates 44-30 to seal a place in the semifinals of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) here on Monday.
Akash Shinde (13 points) and Mohammad Nabibakhsh’s (9 points) efforts were enough for the Paltan to produce a masterclass.
The Paltan ran into an early lead through Akash Shinde’s quick raids. While Shinde was an obvious starring candidate, Paltan’s Iranain all-rounder Mohammad Nabibakhsh also pulled together points on both sides of the mat to leave the Pirates reeling.
The Paltan inflicted the first all out of the game with barely a minute of the first half left to surge into an 18-8 lead. Barely threatened by anyone bar Sachin, Paltan went into the break leading 19-10.
The Paltan deepened the Pirates wounds in the second half, Shinde and Nabibakhsh subjecting them to constant touch points as they further extended their lead.
At the other end, despite Sachin chipping away with valuable points, the Pirates looked in disarray. A third all out by the Paltan late in the game all but confirmed their victory as they went into a 43-19 lead.
The Pirates ended up getting 11 points in the final five minutes, with Mohammedreza Chiyaneh getting a five-point haul. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
