Patna Pirates' late return to form and a dream run of eight successive wins in the 12th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League came to an end on Tuesday, October 28, in Delhi as Telugu Titans stood one step away from qualifying for their maiden final. The Titans, who had blown hot and cold in the league phase, have been exceptional in the playoffs, having beaten Bengaluru Bulls in the mini qualifier and now snapped the three-time champions' streak at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, 46-39.
The Titans realised that they needed someone equally good, if not better, to neutralise star Patna Pirates raider Ayan Lohchab's threat and 23-year-old Bharat Hooda was up to the task, earning as many as 23 points out of Titans' 46, playing a decisive role in the third eliminator. Ayan, on whose head and shoulders the Pirates had a memorable run until the third eliminator, was tackled in his opening raid of the contest but came back to get a two-pointer in his next and the Pirates were off the blocks.
The first all-out of the match happened within just six minutes and even though Hooda tried his best following the all-out, the Pirates were leading 13-9 after the first quarter. But something sparked at the halfway mark in the first half as the Titans stormed back into the contest with some clutch tackle and raid points. Shubham stopped Ayan and Chetan Sahu earned a touch point as the Titans had reduced the deficit to just one point before the all-out took the Men in Yellow and Red into the lead at halftime.
Ayan kept the pressure on and crossed the 300-mark for the season and became the joint-fastest raider (alongside Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Sehrawat – season 7) to get to the milestone (in 22 matches). Ayan also became the first raider in PKL history to score 20-plus points in six matches in a season, a tournament record, as the 20-year-old from Haryana continued to ride the tide for his side, but the Titans were just too good and professional in the second half.
Bharat Hooda began the second half with a couple of successful raids on Ankit and Ashish Birwal. Ankit Rana was then tackled, but Bharat got Navdeep and Deepak and the Titans had started running away with the game. The Pirates were all out for the second time and the lead rose to 10 points for the Titans. The Pirates too stormed back by inflicting an all-out on the Titans, but Hooda's super raid and a couple of outstanding tackles from Ankit and Vijay Malik late sealed the Pirates' fate.
The Titans will now take on Puneri Paltan in the second qualifier, as Dabang Delhi KC await the winner of the contest in the final.
