HYDERABAD, JAN 22    :      Puneri Paltan did the double over Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 after registering a massive 34-24 victory over them at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Sunday night.

Mohammedreza Chiyaneh’s scintillating 9-point performance was the difference between the sides on the day.

Right from the start it seemed like Chiyaneh would dictate proceedings as a young Puneri Paltan team rallied behind him. While he ensured defensive solidity, Mohit Goyat and Aslam Inamdar wreaked havoc on the raid.

Having consistently been ahead in the game, they inflicted the first All-Out with six minutes of the half left to take a 17-8 lead. They extended that to a 13-point lead at the break.

Gujarat Giants had logged a single tackle point in the first half, a testament to not just how ineffective their defence had been but also to how good Goyat and Inamdar were. By any margin their performance rose in the second half — and they were better than Puneri Paltan on every metric in the second 20.

But not by enough. Despite their attempts at closing the gap, the All-Out eluded them, and in the second half, Puneri Paltan kept the ante high, forcing Gujarat Giants to backtrack everytime it looked like they had the game under control.

Even with the last raid of the evening, with Puneri Paltan reduced to two, the All-Out did not arrive as Chiyaneh’s Super Tackle made for a fitting end to his and Puneri Paltan’s dominance on the day.(UNI)