PKL 10: Jaipur Pink Panthers edge U Mumba 31-29 in 1001st game

The Jaipur Pink Panthers edged a razor thin game 31-29 against U Mumba at the SMS Indoor Stadium on Monday.

The Pink Panthers' lead man Arjun Deshwal (11 points) helped the Pink Panthers get their third consecutive victory at home and extend their winning streak to five.

Before the game the record between these two teams stood at 10 wins apiece and two ties. In the early going it was evident why there had never been anything to separate them in the past, as they matched each other raid for raid and tackle for tackle.

Arjun Deshwal was the key player for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, his constant raid points keeping the scoreboard ticking. At the other end, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh did the same for U Mumba, till an injury cut short his time on the mat, and raised the alarm bells for U Mumba. U Mumba went into the break holding a slender one point lead.

Ajith Kumar's super raid to take out Rinku, Surinder Singh and Mukilan Shanmugam opened up the first gap between the teams in the game, but it didn't last long. U Mumba hit back almost immediately, and were constantly picking up bonus points to stay in the hunt.

The close nature of the game was magnified by the fact that going into the final two minutes neither team had managed to inflict an all out. The Jaipur Pink Panthers, thanks in part to a super tackle led by three points, in those final minutes, and it was what made the difference. Despite some desperate raiding by Jai Bhagwan, a small miscalculation helped the Pink Panthers to a close win.