JOIN USHosts Bulls succumb to second straight defeat
In a scintillating second half display, the Bengal Warriors handed home side Bengaluru Bulls their second straight defeat with a score of 34-24 in the third edition of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Thursday.
Even the vociferous 2000-strong audience couldn't spur the Bulls to pull off a win, which would have been a confidence boost after Wednesday's loss to the Patna Pirates.
The local side looked to be more in unison at the start of the match as Surjeet Narwal, who failed with his initial raids, marshalled his troops well in defence.
It was the usual suspects who turned up for Bengaluru as Amit Rathi and Deepak Kumar Dahiya began to rake in the points.
But Bengal refused to lie low and were equal to the task in front of them.
Raiders Nitin Tomar and South Korean Jang Kun Lee displayed technical brilliance and ensured the Warriors were hot on the heels of the Bulls at 7 apiece.
But a few elementary errors in defence cost Bengal and they suffered an all out in the 15th minute to gain a substantial 13-8 lead. In a see-saw tie, Bengal came back once again to end the first half just one point behind the host at 13-12.
Losing plot
The Bulls seemed to lose the plot after the break as they faced the prospect of being all out by the 24th minute but Bulls' skipper Surjeet stepped up and scored with a super tackle leaving the scores at 19-16.
This was when the Bengal side began to show their resolve and started piling pressure on an inexperienced Bengaluru side.
Lee made a couple of good raids and all of a sudden Bengaluru were staring at another prospective all out situation.
This time around, Bengal made no mistake as Dahiya was taken out on his raid and the Warriors enforced an all out to pull slightly clear at 22-20 with ten minutes left on the clock.
The Bulls failed to stay calm under pressure as they lost all cohesion defensively and gifted points to their opponents.
On the other hand, Bengal kept growing with confidence and had built a sizeable 26-21 lead, one they didn't relinquish, and saw out the game with ease as the final score read 34-24.
Lee top scored for the Warriors with 11 points and for Bengaluru, Rathi bagged 6 points.
The Warriors, with this victory, now have two victories in two games while hosts Bengaluru Bulls have one victory and two losses in three games so far. They face Jaipur Pink Panthers on Friday.