Pune, Dec 21 (IANS) Patna Pirates came back strongly to hold Gujarat Giants to a tie in an action-packed contest in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in the Badminton Hall of the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Saturday. While the Gujarat Giants led for most of the game, the Patna Pirates eventually clinched a 40-40 draw.

For Patna Pirates, who are looking for a Top 2 finish, Devank got a Super 10 while Sudhakar M. scored seven points. For the Gujarat Giants, Guman Singh and Jitender Yadav scored eight points each, and Rakesh top-scored with nine 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 four minutes to go. In the final minutes of the first half, Devank and Sudhakar 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 over the Gujarat Giants. 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.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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