The Patna Pirates returned to winning ways with an all-round performance that secured an impressive 40-27 win over the Gujarat Giants at the Noida Indoor Stadium here.
Ayan Lohchab was their star player once again with 10 points – including two Tackle Points – while Devank Dalal and Sandeep finished with 6 and 5 points respectively on Monday night.
After a slow start, the Patna Pirates found their groove as the usual suspects Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab made up for their initial mistakes with raids that got the likes of Balaji D and Sombir off the mat.
The Gujarat Giants and the Patna Pirates matched each other like-for-like in terms of both attack and defence at the start as Rakesh led the raiding department for the Gujarat Giants, scoring four quick points.
As the first half came to a close, the Patna Pirates got themselves back into the game, equalizing the score and then getting the Gujarat Giants ALL OUT with two minutes remaining until the end of the half.
This was enough to allow the Patna Pirates to take a 21-16 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes.
The Gujarat Giants mounted a comeback in the second half with the hopes of reducing the deficit, but the Patna Pirates had an answer to most of their moves.
While Devank and Ayan led the charge for the Patna Pirates, they were well-supported by the likes of right raider Sandeep and right cover defender Deepak.
Having taken an eight-point lead, the Patna Pirates got the Gujarat Giants ALL OUT for a second time in the game. Ayan turned defender as he successfully tackled Parteek Dahiya to complete the ALL OUT.
This move effectively closed out the game for the Patna Pirates, who used the momentum to their advantage.
As the match came to a close, Mohit for the Gujarat Giants completed a Super Tackle but it was not enough as the Gujarat Giants suffered a 13-point loss at the hands of the Patna Pirates.
