Pune, Dec 10 : Skipper Arjun Deshwal was their main aggressor yet again as the Jaipur Pink Panthers secured a crucial win in the race for the playoffs as they beat Gujarat Giants 42-29 in Match 103 in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Stadium here on Tuesday.

Deshwal was their main aggressor yet again as he scored 13 points, but Neeraj Narwal's eight points and Ankush Rathee's High 5 played an equally important role in the victory.

A fast-paced start to the match saw the Jaipur Pink Panthers race to an early lead over the Gujarat Giants. In the early exchanges, Neeraj Narwal got Mohammad Nabibakhsh, and then Neeraj Kumar wasted a Super Tackle opportunity against Deshwal. This led to the first All Out inflicted on the Gujarat Giants after Rohit failed to tackle Neeraj Narwal.

This set the tone for the game as the Jaipur Pink Panthers completely dominated their opponents. Ankush Rathee joined the party with a bold move on Rakesh, and even though the Gujarat Giants found successful raids courtesy bonus points, the Panthers inflicted a second All Out on the Gujarat Giants towards the end of the first half as the score read 27-16 in favour of the two-time PKL champions.

The script of the match remained the same in the second half as well. As much as Guman Singh and Rakesh led the raiders for the Gujarat Giants, their defence had no answers to the might of Deshwal and Neeraj Narwal. Guman also completed a Super Raid in a brilliant move that got Ankush Rathee, Surjeet Singh and Abhishek KS, but it was not enough as the Jaipur Pink Panthers began to run away with the win.

Deshwal completed a well-earned Super 10, while Rathee completed his second High 5 of the season. For the Gujarat Giants, Guman Singh and Rakesh scored nine points each, but it was not enough as the Jaipur Pink Panthers closed out an impressive 13-point win over the Gujarat Giants to move into sixth position as they remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.

/IANS