PKL, Day 1: Abhishek Singh powers U Mumba to win over Bulls; Titans, Thailavas draw; Warriors beat Yoddha

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Bengaluru, Dec. 22: Abhishek Singh’s incredible 19-point performance helped U Mumba register a 46-30 win over the Bengaluru Bulls in the season-opener of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8.

Bulls skipper Pawan Sehrawat and raider Chandran Ranjit both picked up Super 10s, but U Mumba’s defensive unit proved to be the difference on the night, outscoring their Bengaluru counterparts 13-3.

The match got off to an explosive start, as Sehrawat managed to pick a bonus but was promptly tackled down by Narendra. Ranjit’s excellent work helped the Bulls build a 4-1 lead, but their defence had no answer for Abhishek, who picked up point after point to help U Mumba inflict the game’s first All Out and give his side a comfortable lead.

Ranjit continued his stellar work on the night and managed two Super Raids that left U Mumba with just one player on the mat. But that player was Abhishek, whose four-point Super Raid flipped the momentum back in U Mumba’s favour. They finished the half strong and went into the break leading 24-17.

U Mumba managed to inflict the game’s second All Out early in the second half and soon built a nine-point lead. The excellent raiding from both teams continued, especially from U Mumba, who gave up just one tackle point midway through the second half.

Ranjit and Sehrawat helped the Bulls mount a comeback, as they combined to reduce U Mumba down to just three men on the mat. In a Do-or-die raid, Ranjit went in, hoping to get his side closer to inflicting an All Out. But skipper Fazel Atrachali, who had a quiet game up until that point, overpowered Ranjit to add two points to his and U Mumba’s tally. In the subsequent raid, V Ajith Kumar delivered the final blow with a Super Raid.

Despite leading by 11, U Mumba did not take their foot off the pedal and soon inflicted another All Out to put the result beyond doubt. In the penultimate raid, Abhishek picked up his 19th raid point of the night to cap off an incredible performance.

Titans draw with Thalaivas

Telugu Titans pulled off a stunning comeback to draw with Tamil Thalaivas in their opening match of the Pro Kabaddi League.

Playing in the second game of Day 1 of season eight, Manjeet starred for the Thalaivas, while Siddharth Desai, who spent a lot of time away from the mat, clinched a crucial super 10 (11 points) for the Titans to turn the game around.

Bengal Warriors win opening game

Playing in the third and final game of the opening day, Bengal Warriors pulled off a 38-33 win over UP Yoddha to get their season off to a winning start.

Source: Pro Kabaddi League