PKL Season 12:
Jaipur Pink Panthers Make a Stunning Comeback with a Win
Dr. Shrikrishna Sharma
New Delhi. Facing a string of defeats, the Jaipur Pink Panthers have rekindled their hopes by returning to the game. They defeated UP Yoddha by 14 points in a match of the 12th season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium here. This victory came after four consecutive defeats. The Jaipur Pink Panthers won the match by a margin of 42-28. This victory has propelled the Jaipur Pink Panthers to seventh place in the table. This will undoubtedly shift their focus to the playoffs. This is their 11th defeat in 17 matches.
Nitin Dhankhar (11) and Ali Samadhi (13), who returned to the field after a long absence, played key roles in the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ victory. Aryan, who scored three points in defense, also contributed. Surender Gill (12) and Guman Singh (6), included in UP’s starting seven for the first time, played brilliantly. Thanks to Nitin Dhankhar’s brilliant play, Jaipur forced a super tackle for UP within seven minutes. Meanwhile, Samadhi wiped out UP with a single raid, giving Jaipur a 15-6 lead. Surender took the bonus after an all-in, and Nitin took Mahinder. Nitin was scoring points with every raid, putting constant pressure on UP. Jaipur’s lead had doubled. UP, which had been unable to open its account on defense, started the attack by dismissing Samadhi. However, Jaipur’s defense responded by dismissing Guman. Meanwhile, a revived Samadhi added to UP’s troubles by scoring two points on a do-or-die raid. However, he was caught in a chain tackle on the next raid. Jaipur took the break with a 24-14 lead, but then Jaipur again forced a super tackle for UP. Then Aryan put Gagan under ankle hold and pushed UP towards all-out. Then by taking it to its logical conclusion, they took a lead of 31-17. After the all-in, UP took three points against two. During this, Nitin and Gill completed Super-10. In the first four minutes of the last quarter, Jaipur took a lead of 36-23. Four minutes were left in the game. Meanwhile, Samadhi completed his fourth Super-10. Samadhi was caught by Ganga Ram on the next raid but by then it was too late for UP. (Sports Editor)
