Hyderabad, Oct 20 (IANS): Captain Arjun Deshwal led from the front as former champions Jaipur Pink Panthers overcame Bengal Warriorz 39-34 in a tightly-contested and highly entertaining match in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli, here on Sunday. The Jaipur Pink Panthers had to work hard and eventually managed to win the contest with Deshwal scoring 15 points while Nitin Dhankar registered 13 points for Bengal Warriorz.

Iranian star Fazel Atrachali, who joined the franchise following the Players' Auction, and the Bengal Warriorz began the game very well, with the defensive unit working in tandem to foil a flurry of Jaipur Pink Panther attacks in the early exchanges. Both sides were patient in the first phase of play, with the Bengal Warriorz working hard to hold onto a slender lead.

But at the midway stage of the first half, the Jaipur Pink Panthers captain Deshwal wrestled the momentum away from the Warriorz. Shortly after, a solid tackle by Abhijeet Malik helped inflict an All Out on the Bengal Warriorz, which helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers storm into the lead.

And even though the Bengal Warriorz fought hard after that, it was the Jaipur Pink Panthers who finished the first half with a 3-point lead. At the half-time break, the Jaipur Pink Panthers led 21-18.

The two sides began cautiously in the second half as well as they weren’t keen on conceding any ground. While Fazel Atrachali led the Bengal Warriorz defence brilliantly, Arjun Deshwal was his talismanic self for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

With just under 10 minutes left in the contest, Abhijeet Malik inflicted an All Out on the Bengal Warriorz, which helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers extend the lead to a four-point one. At this point, the score read 29-25 in favour of the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

It was an action-packed final phase of the game as Nitin Dhankar brought Bengal Warriorz right back into the contest. The Jaipur Pink Panthers, who seemed to be one step ahead all through up until then, were suddenly on the back foot.

But it was Abhishek K.S.’s super tackle that sealed the contest for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, who walked off the mat with a closely contested win.