JAIPUR: Jaipur Pink Panthers registered its first win at home, delivering a commanding performance to secure a 41-29 win against UP Yoddhas, in front of a packed house at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday.
For the two-time champion, Nitin Kumar carried on his fine form to register another Super 10, while Ali Samadi also shined with nine raid points. Reza Mirbagheri also registered four tackles, while Deepanshu Khatri and Aryan Kumar bagged three tackles each. For UP Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda’s 15 points and Sumit Sangwan’s four tackle points on the night was not enough.
It was a sedate start for the home side with UP Yoddhas imposing themselves on the mat. Shivam Chaudhary opened his sides account with a bonus point, while Bhavani Rajput also scored a two-point raid, giving the Yoddhas an early lead. Gagan Gowda also got on the board for them, allowing his side to put the Pink Panthers’ defenders under pressure in the early stages.
Soon after, Nitin Kumar and Ali Samadi led the charge for the host as they looked to inject some impetus into the contest. The latter did so with a two-point raid, levelling the scores at 5-5. Building on that momentum, the Pink Panthers inflicted an ALL OUT courtesy a tackle from Reza Mirbagheri, giving his side a three-point lead heading into the first timeout.
The home side opened up a five-point gap with the Iranian duo of Ali Samadi and Reza Mirbagheri contributing on both ends of the mat. The former was on a roll, delivering another ALL OUT with a two-point raid and enabling the Pink Panthers to open up a ten-point gap. The two-time champion further established its dominance to have a 23-12 lead at half time.