Kolkata: Hosts Bengal Warriors bounced back brilliantly to upset defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers 28-26 and open their tally in the home leg of Pro Kabaddi League in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Bengal Warriors, who finished a disappointing second from the bottom in the inaugural season, thus logged their first points in season two, climbing to fourth place with five points from two outings. Panthers were pushed to fifth place with two points from as many matches.
Severely let down by their raids, Bengal Warriors trailed 12-15 at half time as Jaipur rode on Jasvir Singh's brilliant raids to race to a 20-14 lead in the second half with team owner Abhishek Bachchan cheering from behind.
Backed by a packed home support at the 7,000 capacity Netaji Indoor Stadium, Bengal Warriors relied heavily on their defense to log points, while Jasvir secured points at ease en route to the 'Best Raider' award.
Aided by some smart moves by Nilesh Shinde who was adjudged the 'Best Defender', Bengal Warriors held their nerves and tackled Jasvir twice.
The second tackle of Jasvir, which came after Bengal Warriors secured two points, was most crucial as they closed on 25-26 in the final minute. It was a heart break for Panthers in the closing minutes as the team were all out to concede a fine win to Bengal Warriors.
