Pune (The Hawk): After a pretty dull first half, the game picked up steam four minutes into the second when Pirates raider Sachin pulled off a string of successful raids that brought the Yoddhas dangerously close to going all-out.
They had a simple opportunity to obtain one thanks to Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh's outstanding tackle on Gill. They received the game's first All Out, increasing their advantage to 19-11.
The Yoddhas, and in especially Narwal, were brought to life by that setback. The PKL veteran's Super Raid, which caught out five Pirates players — Manish, Rohit Gulia, Chiyaneh, Sunil, and Sachin — to reduce them to one player on the mat, was one of the season's best raids within minutes. The Yoddhas quickly responded with an All Out of their own, taking control at 23-21.
Following that startling defeat, the Pirates recovered to regain the initiative, corner the Yoddhas, and prepare for another all-out battle. A Super Tackle by Rohit Tomar on Sachin just as the squad was about to lose the game brought them level and set up a tense final two minutes.
Sachin pulled off a Super Raid and effected a second All Out on the Yoddhas with just 20 seconds left on the night's second-to-last raid, a Do Oo Die raid, with everything on the line, giving his squad a valiant victory.
(Inputs from Agencies)