Patna: Patna Pirates shared points with the Bengaluru Bulls in a thrilling 28-28 tie during their Pro Kabaddi League meeting here on Wednesday.
Sandeep Kumar (14 raid points) and Ankit (8 tackle points) were the star performers for the hosts.
The Bulls fielded a fresh raiding line-up, with Sushil making all the difference in the opening minutes. The youngster came up with a marvellous ‘Super Raid’, putting his side 5-1 ahead, besides reducing the opposition to just two men.
The Pirates, who were missing skipper Sachin, recovered well to avoid the ‘All-Out’ before fighting back through Ankit in defence and raider Sandeep, drawing level at 8-8.
Akshit turned up for the Bulls, chipping away at the Pirates’ defence along with a great chain tackle on Sandeep, leading to the ‘All-Out’ in the 16th minute.
The visitors took a 14-10 lead, as the first half ended with a two-point raid from Pirates leader Manjeet.
Sandeep stepped up big time for the Pirates in the subsequent half, conducting a series of spectacular raids, including two multi-point raids. One of those saw him evade Monu’s attempted ankle hold before landing a running hand touch on Parteek to register his first ‘Super 10’ of the season.
Ankit was also particularly good for the hosts, excelling with a ‘High 5’, as they led 26-25 with five minutes remaining.
In the final few minutes, Sandeep and Ankit teamed up to give the Pirates a one-point lead at 29-28 with less than two minutes on the clock.
The Pirates had two reviews go their way and appeared to be walking away with a victory before Bharat came off the bench for the Bulls and landed a running hand touch on Krishan Dhull in the penultimate raid to tie the scores, thus ending the exciting battle.
As a result, the Pirates became only the second side to remain unbeaten in their home leg this season, along with the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
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