Pawan, Arjun power Tamil Thalaivas to win over Telugu Titans in PKL season opener

Vizag, Aug 29 (PTI) Arjun Deshwal and Pawan Sehrawat helped Tamil Thalaivas secure a narrow 38-35 win over the home side Telugu Titans in the season opener of the Pro Kabaddi League here on Friday.

Deshwal registered a Super 10 while Sehrawat scored 9 points, with Bharat Hooda registering nine points for the hosts.

Deshwal scored in his opening raid of the season to give Tamil Thalaivas the lead. The experienced raider didn't miss a beat in the opening exchanges before Vijay Malik opened the account for Telugu Titans.

But Hooda got the Titans back into the game, bagging two raids on a Do-Or-Die raid, even as Tamil Thalaivas ended the half with a slender 14-13 lead.

In the second half, Hooda got the better of Himanshu and Suresh Jadhav on a Do-Or-Die Raid. It didn't take long for Telugu Titans to execute an ALL OUT from there on, giving them a five-point lead with the score at 19-14.

The hosts were firmly in control of the game in the second half, while Deshwal was keeping the Thalaivas alive as he registered a Super 10.

Sehrawat opened his account soon after, beginning the road to a comeback for his side.

With their two raiders combining well, Thalaivas levelled the score at 28-28. They made the most of that momentum and got their noses in front with an ALL OUT after Nitesh Kumar tackled Ashish Narwal, getting a two-point lead with the score at 31-29.

As the game came down to the wire, Hooda got his ninth raid point, bringing the gap down to one point.

Sehrawat then came in clutch with an exceptional Super Raid in the dying seconds of the game to secure a 38-35 win for Tamil Thalaivas. PTI APA KHS