Pro Kabaddi 2018, Telugu Titans vs Jaipur Pink Panthers: Telugu Titans Sail to a 36-26 Win

FT! Anuj makes a touch point in the dying moments of the match, and we close with a solid victory!#HYDvJAI #EeRanamMaadhe pic.twitter.com/pKZvOVrH2Z

— Telugu Titans (@Telugu_Titans) December 8, 2018

It was always going to be damage control for Jaipur towards the end of the match, but they miss out on the bonus point they would have got if the margin of defeat was seven points or less.

And that's that! Telugu Titans have taken the match 36-26 here, and have strongly boosted their chances of finishing in the playoff positions.

With just about two minutes remaining in the encounter and numerous stoppages later,the score reads 35-24 to Telugu Titans.

Ajinkya Pawar, however, has blown hot and cold in this match. For every successful raid, he has had an unsuccessful raid. His lack of consistency in the match has been a huge factor in the result.

The approach might not stand them in good stead in this match. Titans seem to be in complete control at the moment.

The last few minutes of this encounter have not seen much action. Jaipur desperately need to up the tempo, but they seem to be content with their tried and tested strategy of picking up defense points.

With just over ten minutes to go, the score now reads 24-17 to the Telugu Titans.

And Titans are playing it safe now. Their raiders are not committing to raids which might be overly risky, and are satisfied going back into their half after picking up the odd bonus point. The score now reads 23-15 to Titans.

And some great defending here means that the titans have opened up a six point lead against Jaipur. The away side will find it very hard to come back into the game from this situation.

The second half has started and the Titans have started it in the same way they started the first. An early point has been acquired and the intent has been made clear.

The score reads 17-13 at half-time to Telugu Titans. The home side will want to make sure that they continue the momentum into the second half as well.

This is going to be a high-scoring encounter till the very end. The score now reads 16-13 to Telugu Titans. And the last few minutes have arguably seen some sloppy defending by Jaipur.

In a battle of attrition and see-saw scores, Jaipur Pink panthers have taken the lead once again. It seems to be a battle between two superstars on either end - Deepak Hooda for Jaipur and Nilesh Salunke for Telugu Titans. 

The score now reads 8-8, and the match has all the makings of being tight all the way to the very end. The points that have been earned have been split evenly between raid points and defense points.

Well Telugu Titans seem to have taken back some sort of control in the match, as the score now reads 7-6 in their favour. And guess who's at the heart of all their raids? That man, Nilesh Salunke!

Says it all, really!

Ajinkya walks in for a do-or-die raid and he does brilliantly to come back with a touch!

JAI 4-2 HYD #RoarForPanthers #JaiHanuman #HYDvJAI

— Jaipur Pink Panthers (@JaipurPanthers) December 8, 2018

Nilesh Salunke is on the raid at the moment, and will have a big part to play in determining the result of the match. As one of the key players, a lot rests on his shoulders.

And the match is off to a frantic start, as Jaipur race into a 3-2 lead. Deepak Hooda has been the wrecker-in-chief so far.

The match is almost about to begin, as the two teams are now lining up on the mat.

Followed by Jaipur Pink Panthers, who have made two changes from the last game:

2 changes from the last game as Lokesh Kaushik and Bajirao Hodage make their way into the team in place of @IamAnupK and @SSunilkabaddi! #RoarForPanthers #JaiHanuman #TTvJAI#JaipurPinkPanthers #JPP #Jaipur #Kabaddi #ProKabaddi #VivoProKabaddiLeague pic.twitter.com/X3850FfGe0

— Jaipur Pink Panthers (@JaipurPanthers) December 8, 2018

And the starting line-ups for both the sides are out. We'll start with Telugu Titans: 

We're feeling generous tonight, so here's our starting 7 well in advance of our upcoming match with @JaipurPanthers
1⃣ Nilesh Salunke
2⃣ Farhad Rahimi
3⃣ Vishal Bhardwaj
4⃣ Anil Kumar
5⃣ Rahul Chaudhari
6⃣ Abozar Mohajer
7⃣ Anuj Kumar#HYDvJAI #EeRanamMaadhe

— Telugu Titans (@Telugu_Titans) December 8, 2018

As far as the encounter between Telugu Titans and Jaipur Pink Panthers is concerned, both teams will want to prevail in this must-win match, to solidify their chances of progressing to the playoff round of the league.

But first, let's take a look at how the other match of the day transpired, with U-Mumba stamping their authority over Bengal Warriors.

There's no stopping the #Mumboys! 😎@U_Mumba stamped their authority yet again with a convincing performance to seal a 31-20 victory in #MUMvKOL. Keep watching all the #VivoProKabaddi action on Star Sports.

— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 8, 2018

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Pro Kabaddi 2018 match between Telugu Titans and Jaipur Pink Panthers!