Published 01:35 IST, October 4th 2019
PKL 2019: Puneri Paltan knock Telugu Titans out of the playoffs
On Thursday, Puneri Paltan edged out Telugu Titans in an edge-of-the-seat encounter to keep themselves in the race for the PKL playoffs. Here are the details.
Puneri Paltan defeated Telugu Titans 53-50 in thrilling contest on Thursday, October 3 at Tau Devilal Sports Complex, Panchkula. The game was a 103-point encounter, the highest points in any match of PKL history. Puneri Paltan, now with 47 points, have moved up to the eighth rank on the PKL points table. As a result, Telugu Titans can no longer qualify for the upcoming PKL playoffs. Despite ranking below Jaipur Pink Panthers and UP Yoddha, Puneri Paltan still have a slim chance of making it to the playoffs. Dabang Delhi KC, Bengal Warriors, Haryana Steelers, U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls have already qualified.
PKL 2019: Telugu Titans vs Puneri Paltan match report
The first half was dominated by Puneri Paltan. After sending Siddhart 'Baahubali' Desai back to the bench in his very first raid, Puneri Paltan established an early lead. At the sixth minute itself, Pune inflicted an all-out on Telugu Titans. Siddharth Desai took ten minutes to the first ten minutes to earn a point for his point. Puneri Paltan's Sushant Sail and Rakesh Gowda helped their teams to earn points, as both teams could not defend their side with efficiency. With approximately seven minutes to go, Telugu Titans were once again all-out after a raid from Manjeet. Surjeet Singh, Pune's captain, earned High 5. The first half ended with a score 16-31.
The second half was raining super raids and all-outs. Although Telugu Titans were trailing by 15 points, they made an impressive comeback. However, Puneri Paltan managed to bag the win. Rakesh Gowda, Sushant Sail and Emad Sedaghatnia executed multiple points raids. Farhad Milaghardan, Manjeet and Rakesh Gowda scored Ssuper 10s while Krushna Madane, Aakash Arsul and Surjeet Singh got High 5s.
PKL 2019 Telugu Titans vs Puneri Paltan: Career Milestones
- Manjeet completed 200 points in his PKL career.
- Siddharth Desai crosses the mark for 400 total points overall.
Updated 10:46 IST, October 4th 2019