New Delhi: Puneri Paltan defeated Bengaluru Bulls 6-4 in a thrilling tiebreaker, which was introduced for the first time in the Pro Kabaddi League. After 40 minutes of play, the score was tied at 32-32, leading the match into the tiebreaker under the new rules.
According to the rule, each team selected five raiders in turn, and a total of seven players were there to defend. The Paltan’s first raid was made by Pankaj Mohite, who scored a point. Then, Alireza equalised for the Bulls. After that, Aditya Shinde scored a bonus point, giving Puneri Paltan a 2-1 lead. For the Bulls, Ganesh Hanamantagol scored a bonus to make it 2-2.
Gaurav and Ashish each scored a point for their respective teams, levelling the score at 3-3. However, Ankush caught Sachin Tanwar to give the Bulls a 4-3 lead. Gaurav levelled the score at 4-4 in response by tackling Akash Shinde.
Aslam gave the Paltan a 5-4 in the final raid, while Bulls’ Dheeraj Rajveer was tackled by Vishal Bhardwaj, securing the win for Puneri Paltan.
Score tied at the end of regular time
Bengaluru Bulls started the match strongly and took an early 4-2 lead. But Aditya Shinde’s super raid helped the Paltan to take a 5-4 lead. The Bulls made a stunning comeback in the match and levelled the score at 7-7. After the end of the first 10 minutes, Puneri Paltan managed to edge ahead with an 8-7 lead, due to their first tackle point of the season.
After the break, the Bulls regained the lead quickly, but the Paltan took advantage of a Super Tackle situation. They tackled Akash to tie the score at 10-10, and the first half of the match ended with both teams locked at 13-13.
In the second half, Akash Shinde was unstoppable on the raiding end for Bengaluru Bulls, as he gave them a three-point lead before Pankaj Mohite replied with a mammoth 4-point raid to put Puneri Paltan back in the lead.
Bengaluru Bulls managed to take a one-point lead with a crucial Super Tackle on Aditya Shine from Aashish Malik. However, Aslam Inamdar made crucial contributions, first on the defensive end and then on a Do-Or-Die Raid to level the score at 23-23 with over ten minutes remaining in the game.
Puneri Paltan got a one-point lead after a tackle from Gurdeep helped them inflict an ALL OUT. After that, Akash Shinde turned the table as he registered his Super 10, including a two-point raid. After 40 minutes of high-octane action, both sides were tied at 32-32, forcing the first-ever tie-breaker in PKL 12, and Puneri Paltan emerged victorious in the tie-break.