A defensive masterclass led by skipper Fazel Atrachali ensured that the Bengal Warriorz beat the Bengaluru Bulls 44-29 in Match 104 of PKL 11 at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Stadium on Tuesday. Vishwas S scored 13 points, but the defensive duo of Nitesh Kumar and Fazel Atrachali scored seven points each on the way to the victory, effectively ending the Bengaluru Bulls’ PKL 11 campaign and eliminating them from the playoffs race.

The Bengal Warriorz dominated the first half of the clash. With Maninder Singh absent, Vishwas stepped up brilliantly as the lead raider, accumulating an impressive 7 raid points and proving to be a crucial player for the team. But a lot of the credit goes to the defensive prowess of Nitesh Kumar and skipper Fazel Atrachali, who got the Bengaluru Bulls ALL OUT with six minutes left to the end of the first half.

A highlight for the Bengaluru Bulls was the performance of their skipper Pardeep emerged as their primary offensive threat. He scored 5 raid points and even executed a Super Raid that took out Fazel Atrachali, Nitesh Kumar and Pranay Rane. But a lack of support from his teammates meant that the Bengal Warriorz established a commanding 10-point lead going into the break as the score read 22-12.

The Bengal Warriorz upped the ante in the second half as Nitesh Kumar reached his High 5. On the other side of the mat, record-breaker and Dubki King Pardeep Narwal reached his Super 10 after a successful raid got Nitesh Kumar off the mat. Meanwhile, Vishwas S completed a well-earned Super 10 as well.

The second ALL OUT was inflicted on the Bengaluru Bulls with 12 minutes left to the end of the game. As the match came to a close, it was the brilliant Fazel Atrachali and his defensive unit who took the Bengal Warriorz to an all-important win. He scored a High 5 as well, as the one-time PKL champions secured a massive 15-point win to keep them in the race for the playoffs.

Schedule for PKL Season 11 match on Wednesday, December 11:

Match 1 – Haryana Steelers vs Bengaluru Bulls – 8 pm      
Match 2 – U Mumba vs Tamil Thalaivas – 9 pm