Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 4 : The Puneri Paltan extended their unbeaten run to four games when they stormed past the listless Gujarat Giants in grand style at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, in Gachibowli, in Hyderabad, on Monday evening. The Puneri Paltan won the game by a scoreline of 49-30, with Akash Shinde scoring 11 points, and defenders Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri and Aman all scoring a Hi-5 each. Meanwhile, for the Gujarat Giants, it was Guman Singh who stood out with 13 points.
Defending champions Puneri Paltan were out of the blocks at rapid pace, and picked up an early lead against the Gujarat Giants, who found it tough to get going in the initial minutes. Within the first five minutes the Puneri Paltan also landed an all out via Abinesh Nadarajan on the Gujarat Giants, which put the Season 10 champions in the box seat, a release said.
Midway through the first half, the Puneri Paltan led the Gujarat Giants by 9 points, with Akash Shinde and Abinesh Nadarajan leading the way for their side. The Gujarat Giants had Guman Singh fighting a lone battle at this point, and what put them under more pressure is a second all out. At the half-time break, the dominant Puneri Paltan led the contest by 30-9.
The second half started off with an all out going, again, in the favour of the Puneri Paltan, who were well and truly in control of the contest. The early exchanges saw the Puneri Paltan continue to pick up points at will, while the Gujarat Giants had Guman Singh and Rakesh fighting on. Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan's Pankaj Mohite, Akash Shinde, Mohit Goyat, Abinesh Nadarajan and Gaurav Khatri were causing their opponents all sorts of problems. At the half-hour mark, the Puneri Paltan led by 25 points.
In the final phase of the contest, the Gujarat Giants had a few positive moments, both in defence and in attack, including being able to land an all out on the Puneri Paltan. But it was never going to be enough, as the Puneri Paltan romped over the line to a comprehensive and comfortable win to kick start their week.