U Mumba defeated the Patna Pirates in a thrilling 40-39 triumph in the penultimate game of the first leg of PKL 12 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Thursday.
Ayan Lohchab made history by becoming the first player in PKL history to score consecutive 20-point games, but he was devastated when a costly unforced blunder in the final seconds turned the tide of the match against him. Anil played crucial roles in what ended up being a high-scoring evening, while Amirmohammad Zafardanesh was the star of the show for U Mumba with a Super 10.
In this game, U Mumba got off to a fast start. Anil scored a two-point raid after Vijay Kumar tackled Ayan Lohchab, giving the Season 2 winners a three-point lead. Milan Dahiya gave the Patna Pirates the lead, but Ayan’s successful Do-or-Die raid quickly put them back on equal terms.
Then, when U Mumba started to take charge of the match and widen the advantage by six points, Zafardanesh assisted his team in taking the lead again with a spectacular Super Raid. With the score at 9-11 at the end of the first quarter, Ayan Lohchab, who was on the verge of an ALL OUT, saved the Pirates with his offensive prowess, cutting the deficit to just two points.
With captain Sunil Kumar leading the pace with his first tackle of the evening, U Mumba ultimately gave their opponents the ALL OUT. With less than five minutes remaining in the first half, the Anil Chaprana-led team appeared to be playing better defense.
In the first half, Ayan Lohchab completed his Super 10 and maintained his excellent play. At the half, the Patna Pirates were behind eight points, 23-15, despite his best efforts.
The Patna Pirates stormed back into the game in the first five minutes of the second half. Ayan Lohchab’s genius enabled his team to inflict their first ALL OUT and square the score, thus there was no stopping him. With the scoreboard showing 29-29 going into the final 10 minutes, the two teams were still exchanging blows.
U Mumba was kept in the game by Anil and Zafardanesh, but Ayan was unstoppable and the Pirates maintained a two-point lead as the final five minutes drew near.
After that, Zafardanesh finished his Super 10 to bring U Mumba back to parity at 34-34. However, Ayan Lohchab’s incredible effort—scoring 20 points for the second straight game—helped the Pirates recover the lead.
U Mumba’s timely Super Tackle with less than two minutes remaining reduced the deficit to one point. With less than five seconds left, a tie-breaker appeared inevitable, but Zafardanesh’s four-second raid kept U Mumba in the game and gave Ayan a last-second opportunity to win the final raid. However, he made an unforced mistake in the heat of the moment by entering the lobby, which cost his side dearly and gave U Mumba the narrowest of victories.
