Pro Kabaddi League: Table-toppers Bengaluru Bulls beat Gujarat Giants

Bharat was the top contributor for the Bengaluru Bulls with 18 points, followed by an out-of-form Vikash Kandola (five points) trying his best to regain good form. 

The match started at a high pace, and the Bengaluru Bulls were relentless from the get-go. Bharat effected the Super-Raid that took out the Gujarat Giants' Rakesh, Rinku Narwal, and Manoj, hinting at an early All-Out. 

It arrived shortly after, and the Bengaluru Bulls took a 9-3 lead. However, the Gujarat Giants did not back down from the challenge.

Parteek Dhaiya and Chandran Ranjit led the team to their first All-Out to equalize at 11-11. 

However, the Bengaluru Bulls increased the pace to inflict their second All-Out and established a 20-13 lead. Bharat secured another Super ten, but more effort from the Gujarat Giants allowed them to reduce the deficit to 26-22 before half-time. 

The second half was slower, but the Bengaluru Bulls maintained their dominance. At a Do-or-Die raid, Bharat caught Chandran Ranjit, Shankar Gadai, and Rinku Narwal in a Super Raid leading to another All-Out. 

The Bengaluru Bulls then extended their lead to nine points. Apart from Bharat and the Bengaluru Bulls' raiders, defenders like Mayur Kadam, Saurabh Nandal, Mahender Singh, and Aman played a fair role in Bengaluru's victory. 

Despite the Gujarat Giants' loss, coach Ram Mehar Singh is hoping for a better performance in the Hyderabad leg. 

"This is an important leg for us in Hyderabad. This is where we have to work on our position on the points table, and for that, we have to start well and win the initial games to build momentum," he said about the 11th-ranked Gujarat Giants. 

Maninder Singh stars in Bengal Warriors' victory against Telugu Titans

Captain Maninder Singh led Bengal Warriors to a decisive 36-28 victory over Telugu Titans at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. The skipper led the raiding department with 12 points, while Shrikant Jadhav scored seven points.

Telugu Titans were propelled forward by Siddharth Desai, who set off his exploits by the fifth minute. At 5-4, Deepak Hooda effected a raid to equalise for the Warriors. 

Shortly after, Parvesh Bhainswal showed his tackling prowess to put the Telugu Titans back in the lead at 8-6 in the ninth minute. Maninder Singh fought back to level the score at 8-8. 

A consistent trade-off ensued as the Bengal Warriors paced ahead at 14-13 at the break. They inflicted an All-Out in the opening minutes of the second half to establish a six-point lead. 

Abhishek Singh and Siddharth Desai were influential on the mat, but Maninder Singh's heroics kept the Warriors in the lead at 25-19 31 minutes into the game. 

Shrikant Jadhav scored a brilliant raid in the 33rd minute, and only two Titans were left on the mat. The Bengal Warriors then inflicted their second All-Out, dramatically extending their lead to 33-22. 

The Bengal Warriors did not miss after that and emerged as the winners. Things seem to be falling in place for coach K. Bhaskaran who spoke about his team's newfound pace. 

"We have changed the strategy after losing to Puneri Paltan. Shrikant Jadhav was given free hand and Maninder took over in the second half," he said. 

Coach Venkatesh Goud, meanwhile, pinpointed the main reason behind bottom-ranked Telugu's dismal season, saying, "We are making small mistakes and playing defensive. Kabaddi has to be played aggressively, and once you get defensive, the opposition will win the game by attacking you.