Noida, Nov 25 (IANS): In a statement of intent, the Jaipur Pink Panthers delivered a crushing 37-23 defeat over the defending champions Puneri Paltan in match 75 of PKL Season 11 at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Monday. Once again, it was Arjun Deshwal who led the charge with his 16 points as they completed the double over the Puneri Paltan in the season.
The first 10 minutes of the match were tightly contested as both teams experienced successful and unsuccessful raids, with Akash Shinde for the Puneri Paltan and Neeraj Narwal for the Jaipur Pink Panthers making notable contributions. The lead kept changing hands frequently, with the Puneri Paltan maintaining a slight edge, but the Jaipur Pink Panthers were hot on their heels.
The talisman for the Jaipur Pink Panthers – Arjun Deshwal – took a substantial lead when he inflicted the first all out of the match on the defending champions. The skipper for the Jaipur Pink Panthers got Mohit and Satyappa Matti in a single raid, which Reza Mirbagheri then successfully tackled by stopping V. Ajith Kumar. They carried this momentum through to the very end of the first half, with the score reading 19-11.
'Raid Machine' Arjun Deshwal produced a moment of magic at the start of the second half to inflict a second all out on the Puneri Paltan and complete his Super 10 in the same move. After Abinesh Nadarajan fell out of the end line, Deshwal pressured Gaurav Khatri and Ajith Kumar as he went on to win five points in a single raid.
Another mistake from Abinesh Nadarajan in a do-or-die raid gifted another point to the Jaipur Pink Panthers despite a successful tackle. At this point, the match was well in favor of the two-time champions, with the Puneri Paltan needing a massive effort to come back from a 16-point deficit with 10 minutes left in the game.
Mohit Goyat was the main aggressor for Puneri Paltan, but he did not receive the support he would have expected from his teammates. Pankaj Mohite also showed glimpses of his ability, but a lack of effort from the defenders worked against the defending champions. Eventually, the Jaipur Pink Panthers went on to secure an impressive victory with a difference of 14 points between the two teams.