Ajinkya Pawar’s stretch, turn, leap away to safety, touching two rivals in his range were on view for Jaipur Pink Panthers in the seventh Pro Kabaddi League tie against Haryana Steelers.
Teammate and ace raider Deepak Hooda (14 points from 23 raids) had laid the stage for a commanding 37-21 victory over Haryana Steelers. Defenders Sandeep Dhull (six tackle points), Vishal Mane (four tackle points) played their roles to perfection.
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Panthers’ defence got into action early into the match, left- corner Sandeep Dhull quelled Naveen, with teammates quickly rushing across the mat to keep the raider from escaping.
Steelers’ right-corner defender Sunil displayed sharp instincts while facing Deepak Hooda, keeping away from his range and dipping under to grab the reputed raider’s ankle.
Raiders opted for caution, seeing the catchers’ early form. Hooda got a toe touch down the middle for Panthers, though big-made Naveen could not escape from an ankle-hold by Dhull on a do-or-die raid and found himself shoved out of the arena. Sachin Narwal’s acrobatic leap over catchers did not work on another raid.
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Double strike
Steelers’ attempt to pull level fell away after Hooda sent out rival captain Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Vikas Kale in one stroke.
The Panthers ace appeared to have been trapped near the centreline, but review supported the umpire’s decision about the raider touching the line before getting pulled back into the Steelers’ half.
The five-point lead at the break earned by Panthers got boosted by an all-out on Steelers, taking the lead to 17-8. Down to four players at one stage, Sunil displayed the grit to force out raider Sachin Narwal on the sidelines on his own.
Naveen did his bit, a flying kick connecting with Dhull at left-corner, but the match was firmly in Panthers’ grasp.
The results: Jaipur Pink Panthers 37 (Deepak Hooda 14, Sandeep Dhull 6) bt Haryana Steelers 21 (Vinay 6, Sunil 6).
UP Yoddha 27 (Monu Goyat 6, Sumit 6) bt U Mumba 23 (Rohit Baliyan 6, Surinder Singh 4).
Thursday’s match: Gujarat Fortunegiants v Dabang Delhi .