Visakhapatnam Aug 29 (IANS) Puneri Paltan and Bengaluru Bulls scripted history as they played out the first-ever tie-breaker in the league stage, and in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) history. The two teams were tied at 32-32 before the PKL 10 Champions prevailed 6-4 in the tie-breaker at the Vishwanadh Sports Club here on Friday.
Aditya Shinde led the way with 9 points, while Gaurav Khatri had a High Five to his name. Meanwhile, Akash Shinde registered his first Super 10 of the season, while Ankush Rathee recorded a High Five that went down in vain for Bengaluru Bulls.
It was a rapid start to the contest as Aslam Inamdar and Akash Shinde didn’t waste any time getting the opening two points for their respective sides. Aditya Shinde registered a Super Raid for Puneri Paltan, giving them a slender lead in the opening exchanges.
Bengaluru Bulls got back on level terms courtesy a double raid from Akash Shinde, eliminating Mohd Amaan and Aslam Inamdar. The raider registered his 300th raid point in the PKL and continued to build on that momentum to give his side a two-point lead.
However, there was no separating the two teams with both defensive units at the top of their game. Gaurav Khatri registered 4 tackle points for Puneri Paltan in the first half, while Ankush Rathee and Sanjay had a couple of tackle points each for Bengaluru Bulls. At the end of the first half, both teams were locked together with the score at 13-13.
In the second half, Akash Shinde was unstoppable on the raiding end for Bengaluru Bulls, giving them a three-point lead before Pankaj Mohite responded with a mammoth 4-point raid to put Puneri Paltan back in front.
Bengaluru Bulls took a one-point lead with a crucial Super Tackle on Aditya Shine from Aashish Malik. However, Aslam Inamdar notched up crucial contributions, first on the defensive end and then on a Do-Or-Die Raid to level the score at 23-23 with over ten minutes remaining in the game.
Puneri Paltan regained their one-point lead after a tackle from Gurdeep helped them inflict an ALL OUT. That was before Akash Shinde turned the tables as he registered his Super 10, including a two-point raid. After 40 minutes of high-octane action, there was no separating the two sides with the score tied at 32-32, forcing the first-ever tie-breaker in PKL12.
The two raiding units were in control, with neither of them backing down after three successful raids in the tie-breaker. That was before Akash Shinde and Sachin Tanwar were brought down in the fourth raid, keeping the two teams at level terms. Aslam Inamdar made the difference in the end, giving Puneri Paltan the lead before a tackle from Dheeraj helped them emerge victorious in the first-ever tie-break in PKL history.
–IANS
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