PKL 8: Jaipur Pink Panthers beat U Mumba, keep playoff hopes alive

Bengaluru, Feb 15 (IANS) Arjun Deshwal was the star for Jaipur Pink Panthers as they thrashed U Mumba 44-28 to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 8, here on Tuesday.

The young raider scored 17 points in a stellar display by the Season 1 champions against their rivals. Mumbai missed multiple opportunities to inflict an ALL OUT on Jaipur and that came back to haunt them in the second half. Their raider Ajith Kumar scored a Super 10 (11 points).

Mumbai started the match on the front foot with their raiders Abhishek Singh and Ajith Kumar looking in good form. Ajith clinched a 4-point Super Raid in the 4th minute to give his team an early advantage. But at the other end, Arjun Deshwal picked points with ease. The former Mumbai raider found bonus points easily as Fazel Atrachali and his men took a cautious approach.

The lack of tackles allowed Jaipur, who were playing without Deepak Hooda in the starting seven, to slowly take control of the match. Their defenders, especially right-corner Brijendra Singh, also chipped in with tackle points to help clinch an ALL OUT with 4 minutes remaining. That gave the Pink Panthers a 6-point lead but Mumbai's defence slowly found its rhythm. They tackled Nitin Rawal and Arjun Deshwal in consecutive moves to end on a positive note. The scores were 17-14 with Jaipur in the lead at halftime.

Mumbai dominated the early minutes of the second half with their defence now getting the better of Arjun Deshwal. A two-point raid by Ajith Kumar allowed them to inflict an all-out but Jaipur fought back through Brijendra Singh. He produced a stunning 3-point Super Raid to keep Jaipur in the ascendancy.

Ajith Kumar again produced a two-point raid but Brijendra followed it up with another good raid. A Super Tackle in the 10th minute of the half by Nitin Rawal helped Jaipur open a four-point lead. Pavan TR produced another Super Tackle as Jaipur made a mini-revival and opened a healthy lead.

Arjun Deshwal's three-point Super Raid with five minutes remaining in the match gave Jaipur much-needed control. He clinched a Super 10 as Jaipur inflicted another all-out with less than two minutes remaining. That gave Jaipur a nine-point lead and took away Mumbai's chances of levelling the scores. Arjun Deshwal's five-point Super Raid in the final minute meant that Jaipur extended their lead to 16-points. The big margin in victory will help Jaipur in their race to seal a playoff spot.