Nitin Kumar was vindicated when he scored 15 points to help the Jaipur Pink Panthers defeat the Gujarat Giants in a tie-breaker on Tuesday, their second of the season, at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag. In a game that could have gone either way, the two-time winners recorded a stunning victory after the two teams were knotted at 30-30.
Rakesh Sungroya immediately made an impression on the game by giving the Gujarat Giants the lead with a two-point raid. Ali Samadi and a tackle by Deepanshu Khatri helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers respond as the two teams faced up in the opening exchanges, with the score tied at 6-6.
Rakesh maintained his excellent play, completing a Super Raid to put the Gujarat Giants ahead 9–7 at the end of the first quarter. However, Nitin Kumar’s Super Raid for the Jaipur Pink Panthers tied the score at 11–11 just as the Giants appeared to be slipping away.
Then, thanks to a superb attacking performance from Nitin Kumar, the two-time champions gained a three-point lead. But when the Gujarat Giants reacted with a Super Tackle from Nitin Panwar, the pendulum shifted once more, as the team took a slim 16–15 lead into halftime.
With a raid goal by Aryavardhan Navale and a tackle from Nitin Panwar, the Gujarat Giants maintained their lead into the second half. Keeping Rakesh’s side within touching range, Deepanshu brought him down in response on behalf of the Pink Panthers.
Then, when Himanshu Jaglan was given a yellow card, the two-time winners took the initiative. The Pink Panthers took advantage of the Giants’ ALL OUT to take a four-point lead. Nitin Kumar made his Super 10 going into the last quarter to keep the Panthers in control, 25–21.
However, the Giants had decided to save their finest for last. Aryavardhan and Nitin Panwar gradually reduced the gap before Rakesh tied the score at 25–25 with less than five minutes left. The Giants then started to shift the tide in their favor, and Shadloui made his imprint with a tackle on Sahil, collecting his first point of the evening.
With an ALL OUT and a crucial two-point raid to end his Super 10, Rakesh gave the Giants a four-point lead. Nitin Kumar, however, responded once more, cutting the deficit to one point before the final raid. That led to a thrilling conclusion and the fifth tie-breaker of the season.
In the tie-breaker, the two sides fought back and forth till Shadloui handed Gujarat Giants the victory with a vital tackle on Deepanshu. However, the Pink Panthers were kept alive by Aryan Kumar’s decisive late tackle, which turned the tide of the game. The two-time champs’ thrilling victory was ultimately confirmed by Nitin Kumar, who maintained his composure.
