Ajay Kumar managed a super 10 but his efforts fell short as Gujarat Giants lost 26-33 to Puneri Paltan in their Pro Kabaddi Season 8 match at the Sheraton Grand, Whitefield in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

All-rounder Rakesh Sungroya, meanwhile, managed eight raid points while Parvesh Bhainswal was the top defender for Gujarat Giants with four tackle points. However, their efforts were outdone by Puneri Paltan’s Mohit Goyat, who too managed a super 10, and Aslam Inamdar (8 points) doing the bulk of the scoring.

As a result, Gujarat Giants suffered their second successive loss of the season to take their winless streak to five matches so far. They are currently eighth in the PKL standings with 14 points.

Led by new captain Ravinder Pahal, Gujarat Giants started the match on a positive note with an early 3-1 lead. However, Puneri Paltan’s Mohit Goyat and Aslam Inamdar kept getting raid points for Puneri Paltan as Gujarat Giants’ defence continued to leak points reducing them to four men.

Mohit Goyat’s four-point raid in the 10th minute swept the entire Gujarat Giants’ defence as Puneri Paltan stretched their lead to 12-4. Gujarat Giants could never make a comeback from there on as Puneri Paltan continued to maintain the lead.

Ajay Kumar and Rakesh Sungroya later managed to narrow down the deficit with some quick single point raids as Puneri Paltan led 19-13 at halftime.

In the second half, Mohit Goyat produced another four-point raid as Puneri Paltan added more misery on Gujarat Giants to lead 24-16 with 14 minutes left on the clock.

A late super tackle in the dying moments brought Gujarat Giants within touching distance of Puneri Paltan’s score although some smart empty raids from Mohit Goyat ensured Puneri Paltan sealed the match 33-26 in the end.

Gujarat Giants will play three-time Pro Kabaddi champions Patna Pirates next on Saturday.