In front of a partisan crowd the Bengaluru Bulls won their first game of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10, beating UP Yoddhas 38-36 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
Vikash Kandola and Bharat both recorded 11 points each, albeit the former’s inspired first half was the reason the Bulls could turn their form around this season.
A slow and cautious opening four minutes were blown out of the water by Pardeep Narwal’s Super Riad which gave the Yoddhas a 4-1 lead. Within minutes they had the Bulls on the ropes, Vikash Kandola the last man looking in. Faced with the prospect of an All-Out, Kandola produced a Super Raid to save his team the blushes and take them to within two points of the Yoddhas.
The tables turned soon after, a Super Tackle by Monu taking out Narwal and with it the Yoddhas’ supremacy. Soon enough the Bulls inflicted the first All Out of the game to take the lead and they went into the break leading by five points.
The Yoddhas slowly got their rhythm back in the second half, but the Bulls, backed by a loud crowd made sure they did not slip up at all. A second All-Out came halfway through the second half as they extended into a 29-21 lead. Hooda’s Super Raid took them even further out in front, and the Yoddhas were soon chasing shadows.
In the last two minutes of the game though, the Yoddhas came alive through All-Out with 40 seconds left on the clock. However, Bharat smartly waited on the edge of the line and ensured that the Bulls squeezed home to the delight of the home fans.
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