V Ajith Kumar’s heroics went in vain as U Mumba failed to get past Tamil Thalaivas and settled for a 30-30 tie in match 15 of Pro Kabaddi Season 8 at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield in Bengaluru.
V Ajith Kumar scored 15 points in the match to help U Mumba take a lead after trailing for long periods - but a last-minute blunder by the Season 2 champions helped Thalaivas escape with a tie, their second of the season.
The first half began with Tamil Thaliavas defenders paying no respect for the Season 2 champions. Captain Surjeet Singh, ably supported by Sahil Singh in the left corner, thwarted Mumbai raiders Abhishek Singh and V Ajith Kumar in successive attempts. With Manjeet and Bhavani Rajput, both lanky raiders with massive reach, impressing with their raids, the Thaliavas clinched their first all-out in the seventh minute to open up an eight-point lead.
The Thalaivas had as many as six successful tackles as opposed to none by U Mumba in the first 15 minutes although U Mumba made a stellar comeback scoring 9 points in the last five minutes of the first half.
Ajith Kumar, produced a stunning four-point Super Raid and an additional two points for all-out to reduce the Tamil Thaliavas lead to just two points in the last minute. The first half ended 17-14 in favour of Thaliavas but with momentum on Mumbai’s side.
Tamil Thaliavas continued with their aggressive approach in the early minutes of the second half with raider Bhavani Rajput leading the charge. However, the Thalaivas continued to struggle against their former raider Ajith Kumar who clinched his Super 10 to help Mumbai keep pace with their opponents.
For the third match in a row this season, Thalaivas allowed their opponents to make a comeback and take the lead from behind. Although the team from Chennai calculated the last raid effectively to ensure Mumbai had to make a do-or-die attempt in the last raid of the match. In the final raid of the match, Ajith Kumar went for the touch instead of sacrificing himself for a bonus point as the Thaliavas defence rounded him off to clinch a thrilling tie.
Featured photo: Pro Kabaddi
