Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 4 : The Bengaluru Bulls secured their second win of the season, clinching a thrilling contest against the Tamil Thalaivas at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. The Bengaluru Bulls came out on top with a scoreline of 36-32. It was Hi-5's from Ajinkya Pawar, Surinder Dehal and Akshit that kept the in-form Tamil Thalaivas team at bay.
It was a quick start from both teams to get themselves on the board. Jai Bhagwan kicked things off with a two-pointer that urged the Bengaluru Bulls into action early on. That was matched by a super tackle from Tamil Thalaiva's captain, Sahil Gulia, that saw the teams going toe-to-toe, tied at 7-7 after the first time out.
Nitin Rawal soon returned the favour with a Super Tackle of his own, to keep things level. The raiders took time to get going on attacking end as the two captains stood tall on the defensive line in the first half that saw the Bengaluru Bulls take a one-point lead as the scoreline read 14-13 at the break.
Alongside his captain, Saurabh Nandal picked up where his team left off in the first half, imposing themselves with a Super Tackle at the start of the second half. The Tamil Thalaivas raiders were unlike themselves in the first 20 minutes. Sachin Tanwar managed to bag his first points of the game in the second half, trigging his team into action as they immediately imposed an All Out on the Bengaluru Bulls to take the lead.
The lead didn't last for too long though, as the Bengaluru Bulls didn't waste much time to tie things up at 23-23. The defining moment in the game came when Anuj Gawade enforced a Super Tackle on Ajinkya Pawar, who was on a Do-Or-Die Raid himself. That gave the Tamil Thailavas a 2-point lead with under six minutes to go in the contest.
However, the Bengaluru Bulls had other plans. Coming in as a substitute for the Bengaluru Bulls, Akshit managed to execute some crucial raids, not only levelling things up but also helping his side to get an All Out on the Tamil Thalaivas. That gave his team a 3-point lead, also giving them something to hold onto with a couple of minutes to go.
The Tamil Thailavas weren't going to go down without a fight with Narender Kandola and Sachin Tanwar, both completing Super 5's. In the end, a clutch defensive effort from Surinder Dehal on the most expensive player of the auction saw him complete his Super 5, sealing the victory for a much-needed win for the Bengaluru Bulls.