U Mumba clinch victory in thriller against Patna Pirates

Visakhapatnam, Sep 11 (PTI) U Mumba edged out Patna Pirates in a nail-biting contest in the Pro Kabaddi League, pulling off a thrilling 40-39 victory at the Vishwanadh Sports Club here on Thursday.

Ayan Lohchab became the first player to record successive 20-point games in PKL history, but was left heartbroken as a costly unforced error in the dying seconds tilted the game in his opponents' favour.

For U Mumba, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh starred with a Super 10, while Anil made vital contributions in what turned out to be a high-scoring night.

U Mumba were quick off the blocks in this contest, as Vijay Kumar tackled Ayan and Anil recorded a two-point raid to give the Season 2 champions a three-point lead. Milan Dahiya opened the scoring for the Patna Pirates, and they were soon back on level terms courtesy of a successful Do-or-Die raid from Ayan.

Zafardanesh then helped U Mumba regain the lead with a brilliant Super Raid, as his side began to take control of the game, opening up a six-point gap.

On the brink of an ALL OUT, Ayan stood tall for the Pirates with his brilliance on the offensive end, reducing the deficit to just two points, with the score at 9-11 after the first quarter.

Ayan continued his fine form, completing his Super 10 in the opening half. Despite his best efforts, the Patna Pirates trailed by eight points at the break, with the score reading 23-15.

In the opening five minutes of the second half, Patna Pirates came storming back into the contest. There was no stopping Ayan, as his brilliance helped his side inflict their first ALL OUT and bring the scores level. The two teams continued to trade blows, with the scoreboard reading 29-29 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Anil and Zafardanesh kept U Mumba in the fight, but Ayan remained unstoppable, keeping the Pirates narrowly ahead with a two-point lead as the clock ticked down to the last five minutes. PTI AH APA APA