The Tamil Thalaivas have earned a reputation as a team not to be slept on, and yesterday’s match was a more than fitting demonstration of why they have achieved that reputation. Despite the rough-and-tumble run they are having in the tournament so far, the Thalaivas attempt to take every match they play down to the last minute displaying passion in the process. The Thalaivas began this match on the right note with a raid point earned M. Thivakaran, their rivals matching them closely through raider Jang Kun Lee. Thivakaran continued his rampage taking on the Bengal defence, bringing them down to 3 men. However, The Warriors managed to pull off a stunning Super Tackle to put the two teams on level terms at 7-7 after 11 minutes.
The Bengal Warriors faced a massive blow with the retreat of Captain Surjeet Singh back to the side-lines. The Bengal Warriors fell victim to a superb All-out inflicted on them the Thalaivas, slipping down to a deficit of 13-9. A few inspired manoeuvres from Warriors raider Deepak Narwal saw them gaining on to the Thalaivas as he brought the score line to 14-12. His inability to change course saw the Thalaivas gain crucial points through a Super Tackle on Narwal. The Thalaivas ended the first half on top with a score of 18-15, despite a show of aggression from Maninder Singh in the dying moments of the first half.
M. Thivakaran had to be rested the Thalaivas owing to a knee injury in the second half. Young South Korean raider Dong Geon Lee took his place and Thalaivas fans will be happy to see the youngster gain valuable match experience. The Second half was a sparkling display of defence with C. Arun and D. Pradap forming a rock solid Thalaivas defence that the Bengal Warriors raiders found difficult to penetrate for the duration of the match. Maninder Singh of the Bengal Warriors put in a spirited performance that saw him achieve his Super 10 with a total of 13 points gained from the game.
The Match looked set to be a hard-earned win for the Bengal Warriors, but a final raid Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur with just 6 seconds left on the clock saw them completely flip the result and achieve an important third win of the season.