Patna Pirates beat UP Yoddha, Puneri Paltan win over U Mumba in PKL

Sachin and Mohammadreza Shadloui shone as Patna Pirates narrowly beat UP Yoddha 37-35 in a Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 match here on Wednesday.

Sachin got a Super 10 (12 points) and was ably supported by left corner defender Mohammadreza Shadloui who secured a High 5.

The three-time champions started the match brightly but lost their way in the middle to give Yoddha an opportunity.

Surender Gill scored a Super 10 for Yoddha, but Patna defenders dominated the final 10 minutes of the match to ensure they clinched an important win in the race for a playoff spot.

Yoddha suffered their fourth consecutive loss and will need to find a solution soon to prevent the rot.

In another match, Puneri Paltan produced another collective performance to beat U Mumba 36-34.

The men in orange made it two wins in two Maharashtra derbies as they overcame a stiff challenge from Mumbai.

Raiders Mohit Goyat (9 points) and Aslam Inamdar (8 points) once again impressed with their attack while young Abinesh Nadarajan marshalled the defence for Pune with a High 5 (6 points).

The win will give coach Anup Kumar's Pune side much-needed confidence in their attempt to clinch a playoff spot.

Mumbai's Ajith Kumar scored a Super 10 but did not get support from his team-mates. PTI PDS

Yoddha opted for a cautious approach in the first half. They benched Pardeep Narwal and took to the mat with just Surender Gill and Shrikant Jadhav as the lead raiders. They took an early lead but Patna, who also benched their experienced star Monu Goyat, clawed their back. Their raider Sachin had a good start to match, and it was his 2-point raid in the 11th minute that paved way for an ALL OUT. That helped Patna open a 5-point lead, but Yoddha's Surender Gill ensured the three-time champions didn't run away with the game. The scores were 20-15 at the interval but the momentum was slowly turning towards U.P. U.P. started the second half with a 2-point raid by Surender Gill. That helped the team clinch an early ALL OUT and level scores at 21-21. The momentum clearly shifted and U.P. used that to open a narrow lead. Surender Gill got his Super 10 in the 8th minute after the interval, but Patna stayed within touching distance through Sachin's raids. They levelled the score with 7 minutes on the clock. Sachin got his Super 10 as Patna clinched an ALL OUT with 3 minutes remaining. That gave them a 4-point lead but Pardeep Narwal, who entered as a substitute, gave U.P. a 2-point raid. But Iranian left corner Mohammadreza Shadloui produced two consecutive tackles in a pressure situation to give Patna some breathing space in the dying minutes. The Pirates clung to the lead to ensure they walked away with all 5 points.