Vizag (Visakhapatnam) [India], August 29 : It was a blockbuster opening game, which saw Tamil Thalaivas secure a 38-35 win over the home side, Telugu Titans, at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Friday night.
Arjun Deshwal registered a Super 10, and Pawan Sehrawat scored nine points for their side, with Bharat Hooda registering nine points for the hosts.
Deshwal picked up from where he left off in season 11, scoring with 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.
Bharat Hooda got the Titans back into the game, bagging two raids on a Do-Or-Die raid, giving his team some momentum to level the score at 5-5, ten minutes into the opening game of the season.
The two teams were going toe-to-toe in the first half, with Bharat Hooda finding his groove for Telugu Titans, also marking a milestone moment with his 600th raid in the PKL. Meanwhile, Deshwal was doing the heavy lifting for his side, racking up seven raid points in the first half. At the end of the first half, Tamil Thalaivas had a slender lead with the score at 14-13.
It was a sedate start to the second half before Bharat 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 the first All Out of the season 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 Tamil Thalaivas alive as he registered the first Super 10 of the season. Pawan Sehrawat opened his account soon after, beginning the road to a comeback for his side.
With their two raiders combining well, Tamil Thalaivas levelled the score at 28-28 with less than five minutes left in the game. 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, Bharat Hooda got his ninth raid point, bringing the gap down to one point between the two sides. Pawan Sehrawat came in clutch with an exceptional Super Raid in the dying seconds of the game to secure a 38-35 win for Tamil Thalaivas.