The Jaipur Pink Panthers defeated U Mumba in a thrilling match at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur, winning 6-4 in the tie-break after the two teams were knotted at 38-38 at the end of regulation time. Vinay and Reza Mirbagheri both contributed with six raids and four tackles, while Nitin Kumar recorded a Super 10 as Sandeep’s Super 10 for U Mumba went in vain.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers took control of the match taking a 6-0 lead in the first five minutes of play when Nitin Kumar scored four of those points while Aryan Kumar and Reza Mirbagheri each scored a pair of tackle points. Although Sathish Kannan gave U Mumba a bonus point when he opened his account, his squad still had a lot of work ahead of them.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers capitalized on their early momentum by causing an ALL OUT to give them a 9-1 lead. The home team’s lead was then increased to double digits as Ali Samadi made his presence known on both ends of the mat. The first quarter ended with U Mumba cutting the gap to 12-5 thanks to tackles from Lokesh Ghosliya and Parvesh Bhainswal.
While U Mumba’s defense finally settled into a rhythm and bounded back into the match, Sandeep Kumar kept the scoreboard moving as the raider. They forced an ALL OUT on the hosts thanks to a tackle by Lokesh Ghosliya, which ended the game at two points. Sandeep Kumar then scored a Super Raid, putting U Mumba ahead by one point.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers dominated the opening ten minutes, but U Mumba controlled the second quarter and outscored their opponents by eight points. Thus, following a thrilling first half, the Season two winners maintained the advantage at 17-16.
Before U Mumba leveled the playing field once more, the two teams kept going toe to toe. Thanks to their skill on defense, they gave the Pink Panthers a second ALL OUT. With the score at 33-24, Sandeep Kumar was outstanding on the offensive end, finishing his Super 10 with a Super Raid and assisting his team in executing another ALL OUT to increase their lead to nine points.
With a tackle on Ali Samadi, Sunil Kumar scored the game’s first points as U Mumba slowed down play to maintain their lead. Nitin Kumar and Reza Mirbagheri both tried to keep the Pink Panthers in the game, but with less than five minutes remaining, the two teams were separated by eight points.
Thanks to Nitin Kumar’s Super 10 finish, the Jaipur Pink Panthers stormed back in the closing seconds of the match. Before a tackle by Deepanshu Khatri tied the score at 38-38 and forced the first tie-breaker of the Jaipur leg, the raider had reduced the deficit to one point with less than a minute remaining.
In the tie-breaker, the Jaipur Pink Panthers maintained their composure after staging an incredible comeback in regulation time. Their raiders kept their best for last, scoring a 6-4 victory in the tie-breaker when it counted most.
