Bengaluru, Jan 17 (IANS): With the help of defenders Sunil and Mohammadreza Shadloui's brilliant performances, Patna Pirates earned a convincing 38-31 win against Bengaluru Bulls in the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 match at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, here on Sunday.

Pirates' defenders Sunil and Mohammadreza Shadloui were instrumental in setting up a defensive wall that even the likes of Pawan Sehrawat could not break.

Pawan, the current green sleeve holder (given to raider with most raiding points), scored a Super 10 in the first half but could not contribute even one point after the interval. A series of Super Tackles in the dying minutes ensured the Bulls lost the match with a margin of just seven points.

The Bulls started the match brightly with Pawan Sehrawat looking his usual best. But Pirates certainly had a plan to stop the Season 6 champions.

Their defenders pounced in the group to shift their momentum to their side. Interestingly, coach Ram Mehar Singh opted to start Guman Singh instead of the experienced Monu Goyat. Pirates unleashed a two-headed raiding attack with Sachin and Guman who picked easy points out of a confused Bulls defence.

They clinched their first all-out in the 9th minute to open a 2-point lead. Pawan Sehrawat, meanwhile, got his Super 10 but the Bulls could only make three successful tackles in the first half that ended 20-16 in favour of the Pirates.

Pirates were in no mood to slip up in the second half. Their defence was nearly flawless as the three-time champions clinched another all-out in the 7th minute after the restart.

The likes of Pawan Sehrawat and Deepak Narwal struggled to find a way past the steely defence marshalled by Sunil in the right corner. Sunil got a High 5 as Pirates opened an 11-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the match.

The Pirates continued their "high risk-high rewards" defending to sustain the lead. They might have been mistaken by conceding too many Super Tackles in the dying minutes which helped the Bulls lose with a margin of just 7 points (earning 1 point from the result).