Gujarat Giants went down by seven points to in-form Jaipur Pink Panthers in the first game of the triple-header in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 15.

Giants all-rounder Prateek Dhaiya picked six points including completing five successful tackles while Shankar Gadai also contributed with three successful tackles, however, it wasn’t enough as Pink Panthers pulled off their third win of the season.

The inaugural PKL champions Jaipur Pink Panthers rode on raiders Rahul Chaudhari and Arjun Deshwal’s collective nine points to register a 25-18 win.

Defenders Sahul Kumar and Ankush pulled off crucial tackle points as Jaipur inched ahead 6-3 in the sixth minute. The Giants tackled V Ajith to stay in the game, but the Jaipur defense continued to showcase top form and helped their team keep their noses in front. Rahul Chaudhari effected a brilliant raid in the 12th minute as Jaipur widened their lead at 10-5.

Star raider Rakesh tried to change Giants’ fortunes, but he found it hard to breach the Jaipur defense on a consistent basis as the Panthers held a three-point lead at 12-9 at the end of the first half.

The Giants showed more urgency in the second half, tackling Arjun Deshwal, but Gujarat's Dong Geon Lee was caught soon after as the Panthers continued to inch ahead at 13-10.

Defender Abhishek KS also joined in to put the Panthers into a strong position at 17-12 in the 30th minute. Meanwhile, Bhavani Rajput accomplished a couple of raids in the last few minutes of the match as Jaipur continued to hold the lead at 22-17. The Jaipur raiders treaded carefully in the last minute and closed out a victory in the end.

With nine points from four matches, Gujarat Giants are currently placed seventh in the Pro Kabaddi Season 9 standings and will look to bounce back when they take on UP Yoddhas in their next fixture on Wednesday, October 19.