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The Puneri Paltan and the Patna Pirates played out an absolute thriller in the Badminton Hall, at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 11, on Monday.
The Patna Pirates won 37-32 with Devank getting 11 points, Ayan adding 9, and Shubham Shinde registering a High-5. For the Puneri Paltan, who put in the superb fight on the day, Abinesh Nadarajan scored 7 points and Aman registered a High-5 too, as per a PKL press release. Both sides started off with 2 tackle points each in the early exchanges, which meant Patna Pirates' raiders Devank and Ayan were having a tough start to the game. Pankaj Mohite scored the first raid point of the game in the fifth minute, which gave the Puneri Paltan a slender. Abinesh Nadarajan, Aman, and Sanket were holding fort in defence for the Puneri Paltan, as they made life very difficult for the Patna Pirates' raiders. Midway through the first half though, both sides were on level terms, with the Patna Pirates starting to make their presence felt. Ayan was leading the charge for the Patna Pirates, but the Puneri Paltan's Akash Shinde and Pankaj Mohite were ensuring that the opposition would stay within touching distance. With about five minutes to go, Abinesh Nadarajan then put in a Super Tackle on Devank and the defending champions once again got their noses out in front. The first half ended with the Puneri Paltan leading 16-13. The Patna Pirates started off the second half with an 'ALL OUT' on the Puneri Paltan. And right after Devank wiped out the deficit, both sides were back on level terms. The three-time champions had started off the second half quite strongly and Devank was looking menacing. Close to the half-hour mark, Aman registered his High-5 for the Puneri Paltan, but Devank then landed an 'ALL OUT' as the Patna Pirates picked up a 5-point lead. In the final phase of play, the Puneri Paltan tried their best to mount a comeback but the Patna Pirates were just about keeping them at bay. With five minutes to go, the deficit was down to 3 points. Eventually, the Patna Pirates managed to close the door on the comeback and clinched the contest in the final couple of minutes. The schedule for the PKL Season 11 match on Tuesday, December 16: Match 1 - Haryana Steelers vs UP Yoddhas - 8 pm Match 2 - Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Bengaluru Bulls - 9 pm. (ANI)
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