Telugu Titans defeated Bengaluru Bulls, their southern rivals, 37–32 after a fierce battle in Sunday night’s Mini-Qualifier at Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium. Bharat Hooda and Vijay Malik’s Super 10s made sure their team qualified for the Eliminator 3. Although Alireza Mirzaian’s Super 10 was insufficient for the Bulls, they will have another opportunity to advance when they play the dominant Patna Pirates in the Eliminator 2 on Monday.
Vijay Malik and Alireza set the tone for an exciting start, and Bharat Hooda’s two-point raid gave the Titans a narrow lead. With Shubham Shinde and Deepak Sankar trading tackles, the defenders also left their mark. Satyappa Matti’s tackle and Akash Shinde’s goal put the Bulls back on equal ground with a score of 6-6.
Chetan Sahu led his team to a 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter with a two-point raid on a Do-Or-Die Raid. Akash recorded two raids, including a Do-Or-Die Raid, to cut the advantage to one point after Bharat Hooda and Aman increased it to four points.
Chetan Sahu and Bharat Hooda helped the Titans maintain their slim four-point lead, and Aman also recorded a few tackles. But the Bulls finished the first half with a score of 16–14 thanks to outstanding performances from Akash Shinde and Satyappa Matti.
The defenders made the first move in the calm start of the second half. Sanjay and Ajit Pawar both secured a tackle for his team. With Aashish Malik’s two-point assault, the Bengaluru Bulls raised the stakes a little. Eventually, they were ahead thanks to Satyappa Matti’s tackle, which allowed them to execute their maiden ALL OUT.
Alireza made sure his team maintained the advantage with a two-point raid, keeping the score at 24-21. With ten minutes remaining in the game, Ajit Pawar’s tackle put the Titans back on equal terms at 24-24 after Bharat answered for the team with a two-point raid of his own.
The Titans started to seize control again as the game was nearing its conclusion. With less than six minutes remaining, Shankar Gadai’s tackle gave the Bulls an ALL OUT, giving them a 31-28 lead, while Bharat Hooda finished his Super 10. With two minutes remaining, Vijay Malik helped the Titans maintain their four-point lead by stepping up on the raiding end.
In the final moments of the match, Alireza kept his team alive by completing his Super 10. But Vijay Malik completed a Super 10 of his own to secure his team’s spot in the Eliminator 3 and earn them the Southern Derby bragging rights, winning 37-32.
