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It was a closely fought match to the very end but the Patna Pirates eventually prevailed over the Bengal Warriorz with a 38-35 win in the last Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 11 encounter at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Devank Dalal reached 194 Raid Points with another Super 10, and finished with 13 points in total, while Deepak completed a well-earned High 5. If not for the loss, it would have also been a night to remember for Bengal Warriorz' star raider Maninder Singh, who completed 1500 Raid Points in the PKL - a feat only matched by Pardeep Narwal, as per a press release from PKL. The Bengal Warriorz showed their true mettle in the first half as the defence kept the raiding duo of Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab quiet. Both teams traded points in a see-saw battle as Maninder Singh led the charge for the Bengal Warriorz in his trademark aggressive raiding style. With no sign of any team taking a comprehensive lead, Devank emerged as a standout performer for the Patna Pirates. As the first 20 minutes came to a close, it was Devank- once again - who gave his team the lead. A Super Raid got Fazel Atrachali and Mayur Kadam, as his team took a four-point lead, with the score reading 19-15 at the end of the first half. Maninder Singh and Nitin Kumar Dhankar kept the pressure on the Patna Pirates but it was only the two of them who was the main aggressors for the Bengal Warriorz. Meanwhile, Ayan Lohchab also earned an impressive Super Raid, getting Nitesh Kumar, Maninder Singh and Siddhesh Tatkare off the mat. The first 'ALL OUT' was soon inflicted on the Bengal Warriorz, after Deepak successfully tackled Nitin as the Patna Pirates began to run away with the lead. As the match entered a crucial stage, the Bengal Warriorz closed in on the Patna Pirates' lead. Mayur Kadam trapped Ayan in a 'Do-Or-Die' raid, which also was a 'Super Tackle', and then Vishwas S got Arkam Shaikh and Deepak to reduce the deficit between the two teams. As the match came to a close, mighty Maninder etched his name in history books after reaching the milestone of 1500 Raid Points, becoming just the second player to do so after Pardeep Narwal. He also completed his Super 10, helping his team come close to the Patna Pirates, but it was not enough at the end of the night, with the three-time PKL champions winning by a close margin of three points. (ANI)
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