So after 9 weeks of non-stop action of Pro Kabaddi League season 9, we have our well deserving Finalists who will square off against each other in the Final on 17th of December. Jaipur Pink Panthers became the first Finalists of Season and the table toppers will face Puneri Paltan for the PKL 9 trophy.
THIS IS IT π€©#vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPanga #BhidegaTohBadhega #vivoProKabaddiPlayoffs #vivoProKabaddiFinal #vivoPKL2022Final #vivoPKL2022Playoffs #JaipurPinkPanthers #PuneriPaltan pic.twitter.com/70AYjz8uqV
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 15, 2022
But before they face off for the ultimate test on Saturday, let’s have a look at how things went tonight during both of the Semi-finals.
Jaipur Pink Panthers Vs. Bengaluru Bulls (Semi-Final 1)
Waqt badal diya
Jazbaat badal diye
Game ka rukh badal diya πPaltan turned the game on its head in the last few minutes to make a strong comeback and earn a spot in the Season 9 Final π#vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPanga #PUNvCHE #vivoPKLPlayoffs #vivoPKL2022Playoffs pic.twitter.com/E8cOJUZ2kC
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 15, 2022
First Semi-final of season 9 saw inaugural the champions beat season 7 champions Bengaluru Bulls. Jaipur entered their 3rd final and now they will shift their focus on winning their second PKL title. Jaipur did not just beat Bengaluru but they actually made them a recipient of their fine form.
The Panthers registered a victory by 20 points against one of the most balanced sides in the tournament. Arjun Deshwal did not have to do much tonight as he scored only 4 raid points but V Ajith took the charge and brought back 13 raid points. Ajith was the only raider to score more than 5 raid points but you must be wondering who scored the remaingin points?
The defenders. The solid Sahul Kumar scored a Super 5 and reached 10 tackle points for the win. Ankush Rathee had to join the party and he did so by scoring a Super 5. Reza Mirbagheri also scored a Super 5 with captain Sunil Kumar scoring 1. Through the defense’s efforts Jaipur registered a tackle success rate of 72.41%.
Jaipur’s main players were quiet in this match as the backups stole the show tonight. Bengaluru’s Bharat was their highest scoring player tonight but he could not hit a Super 10 and scored 7 raid points. Vikash Kandola (5 raid points) also performed below his level in front of an excellent Jaipur defense. It was a great season from their perspective and they will hope to take another step forward in Season 10.
Puneri Paltan Vs. Tamil Thalaivas (Semi-Final 2)
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Panthers, it's a call from the ππππ¨π€π£ 9 πππ£ππ‘ for you π€©#vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPanga #JPPvBLR #vivoPKLPlayoffs #vivoPKL2022Playoffs #JaipurPinkPanthers pic.twitter.com/rykUkaz8Wk
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 15, 2022
In the second Semi-finale of the night Tamil Thalaivas missed out from qualifying for the Finals by a margin of just 2 points. In this match too for the winners, the back up players mainly ran the game. From Puneri Pankaj Mohite scored the highest points as he earned a Super 10 and finished the night with 16 raid points.
Akash Shinde helped him with his 4 raid points but no other raider got into the game that much. Mohammad Nabibaksh did play a crucial All-round performance as he scored 3 raid points, 1 bonus point and 2 tackle points. From the defense, Gaurav Khatri, Fazel Atrachali, Abhinesh Nadrajan and Sanket Sawant amased 9 tackle points for the win.
From Tamil Thalaivas, Narender Kandola scsored a Super 10 and kept on fighting till the end but his contribution of 12 raid points just wasn’t enough. Ajinkya Pawar also tried his best by winning 7 raid points but their defense did not support the raiders as Tamil Thalaivas had a tackle success rate of only 33.33%.
However, Tamil Thalaivas should keep their heads high as they had a very good season. Despite missing Pawan Sehrawat for the whole season after the first match, they were able to qualify for the play-offs and then the Semi-finals. Next season will definitely be a good one for them as they will have Pawan Sehrawat back and Narender Kandola will also be a better player.
Final score line at the end of full time was 39-37.
