Gujarat Giants rode on star all-rounder Parteek Dahiya’s scintillating performance along with valuable contributions from the defenders to thrash league leaders Puneri Paltan 51-39 in a Pro Kabaddi League (PKL ) Season 9 match at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, November 29.

Under the tutelage of head coach Ram Mehar Singh, the Chandran Ranjith-led Giants put on an impressive all-round show to end their six-match losing streak and bag five important points to stay in contention for the PKL Season 9 playoffs. With a dominating victory on Tuesday, the two-time PKL finalists Giants clinched a double over Puneri Paltan this season and also snapped Paltan’s five-match winning streak.

A blistering start by the Paltan saw them race into an early lead, with the Giants finding it tough on the mat. However, it all changed within moments as captain Chandran Ranjit caught out Aslam Inamdar and Sanket Sawant to bring the Giants back into the game. Despite the resurgence, it was the Paltan who inflicted the first ALL OUT of the game, to take a 15-8 lead.

The All Out galvanised the Giants, Ranjit and Parteek Dahiya combining to not just engineer a comeback but also get the Giants an ALL OUT of their own, to make it a one-point game. From there, the match ebbed and flowed with both teams trading points constantly. The teams went into the break with Paltan leading 22-21.

The Giants, however, roared out of the blocks in the second half, Dahiya in particular was devastating on almost every raid he went for. They inflicted a second ALL OUT on the Paltan to take the lead for the first time in the game at 31-25. The Giants kept the pressure up with Dahiya in particular on a streak that was destroying Pune at regular intervals. A second ALL OUT followed as the Giants extended into a 44-32 lead. Ram Mehar Singh's men never let it slip, registering a morale-boosting and momentous win heading into the business end of the tournament.

For the Giants, Parteek Dahiya continued his red-hot form as he picked 19 points including completing 11 successful raids. Apart from Parteek, raider Sonu bagged six points while Chandran Ranjith and all-rounder Arkam Shaikh secured five points each.

Having bagged 41 points from 18 matches, the Giants are currently placed 11th in the PKL Season 9 standings and need to continue their winning run when they face Patna Pirates in their upcoming fixture at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Friday, December 2.