Defender-captain Vishal Bharadwaj teamed up with ace catcher Abozar Mighani to inspire Telugu Titans to a rousing 35-31 victory over Patna Pirates in an enthralling Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Zone B contest.
Titans overcame a sluggish first-half to pull the rug from under the feet of Pirates, whose stellar raiders Pardeep Narwal, Manjeet (eight raid points) were upstaged by te seasoned Rahul Chaudhari (seven raid points, including two bonus).
The first half — at the end of which Pirates were ahead 17-14 — produced edge-of-the-seat stuff.
Manjeet struck Pirates’ first blow with two points from a raid, twisting clear after a tackle.
Narwal, snared in the first raid of the match, supported Manjeet’s act by sending out the two remaining Titan players, resulting in the lead surging to 12-6.
Pirates, however, faced the heat from then on, as Mohsen asserted himself in the rival half.
The catchers in his team then regained form to reduce the deficit to three points at the break.
On Thursday night, Gujarat Fortunegiants soared to its first victory this season, winning a thriller 34-28 against Puneri Paltans.
Haryana Steelers edged out Dabang Delhi 34-31, marking the conclusion of the Sonepat leg. The home team, down 14-16 in the first half, surged ahead in the second half at 23-20.
The scores: Zone B: Telugu Titans 35 (Rahul Chaudhari 7) bt Patna Pirates 31 (Manjeet 8). Pts: Titans 5, Pirates 1.
On Thursday: Zone A: Gujarat Fortunegiants 34 (Sachin 12) bt Puneri Paltans 28 (Nitin Tomar 13).
Haryana Steelers 34 (Vikas Khandola 9) bt Dabang Delhi 31 (Ranjit Chandran 8).
