The Bengaluru Bulls defeated the Bengal Warriorz 43-32 on Sunday night at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, led by another outstanding performance from Alireza Mirzaian. The team led by BC Ramesh advanced to fourth place in the standings with 18 points from Alireza and a High Five from Deepak Sankar in their third consecutive victory. Devank Dalal’s 13th consecutive Super 10 appearance, however, was once again in vain.
The Bulls and Warriorz got off to a tense, tightly matched start to their matchup. Ashish, the defender, maintained security at the back while Devank set the tone with his assured early raids. However, Alireza Mirzaian’s all-around efforts helped the Bulls recover, as his early points put them within striking distance.
As the game moved past the first quarter, it appeared like it could go either way because neither team was able to break away with any degree of conviction. The intense battle of the first few minutes was reflected in the Warriorz’s slim 10–9 advantage at the 10-minute mark.
There was a lot of activity in the second ten minutes as both sides traded successful raids. Alireza Mirzaian’s all-around performance kept Bengaluru in the game, while Warriorz’s Devank was in excellent form, constantly penetrating the Bulls’ defense with deft movement and acute awareness.
But the Bulls responded with a spectacular Super Tackle on Himanshu Narwal, spearheaded by the seasoned Alireza Mirzaian, which turned the tide in their favor. Alireza succeeded in his raid shortly after, and the Warriorz’s problems were exacerbated by Ganesha Hanamantagol’s Super Raid. The Bulls had taken charge by the tenth minute and were ahead 22–15 at the interval.
The match became more intense in the third phase as the Bulls and Warriorz traded ALL OUTs. Alireza Mirzaian’s outstanding raids helped the Bulls, who had a nine-point lead going into the second half, keep up their pace. Bengaluru’s supremacy was further cemented by his Super Raid, which eliminated Ashish, Manjeet, and Himanshu Narwal.
The Warriorz’ chances of a comeback were revived as they refused to silently go away with a critical ALL OUT against the Bulls. However, with one quarter remaining in the game, Alireza once again changed the course of events with a dominant raid that led to the Bulls committing an ALL OUT of their own, maintaining their lead at 35–26.
Bengaluru Bulls consolidated their dominance and ended the game with clinical accuracy in the final ten minutes. Alireza’s Super 10 was a suitable reward for his performance that evening as he persisted in torturing the Warriorz defense. Deepak Sankar, on the other hand, was a rock-solid defender who rallied the backline and made two important tackles on Devank to deserve a well-earned high five.
The Bulls’ structure and composure were too strong for the Warriorz to overcome their late comeback attempt. The Bulls held onto their 11-point lead to win 43–32, despite the Warriorz forcing a few pointless raids.
