Tamil Thalaivas beat Gujarat Giants 40-27 in thrilling PKL 2024 match

Moein Shafaghi produced a fine show as Tamil Thalaivas cruised to a 40-27 victory over Gujarat Giants in one of their biggest wins in the Pro Kabaddi League here on Friday.

It was all one-way traffic as Shafaghi scored 13 points and Sourabh Fagare and Himanshu added 7 each. For the Giants, Himanshu Singh finished with 11 points.

Both sides made a slow start before Tamil Thalaivas pulled away with a three-point lead within the first five minutes. Shafaghi and Himanshu made important contributions for Tamil Thalaivas, who were dominant in the early phase.

Gujarat's defence was finding it tough while the Thalaivas were looking solid in that department. Midway through the first half, it was the Thalaivas who had the upper hand and the lead.

As the half wore on, the Thalaivas continued to keep their opponents at bay and then Shafaghi landed an all out on the Giants as well, to stretch the lead to a 9-point one.

The likes of Aashish, Shafaghi and Himanshu were calling the shots for the Thalaivas, who went into the half-time break with the score at 19-8.

Early in the second half, Shafaghi landed an all out on the Gujarat Giants, which further piled on the pressure. Along with Shafaghi, Aashish and Himanshu also picked up a flurry of points which extended the lead to close to 20 points.

For the Giants, Himanshu Singh did most of the heavy lifting, but didn't find the support from the others. At the half-hour mark, the Gujarat Giants were trailing by 15 points, before Himanshu Singh inflicted an all out on Tamil Thalaivas.

Moments later, Shafaghi went through the Gujarat defence with a three-point raid and also brought up his Super 10.

In the final phase, the Giants did their best to reduce the deficit but the Thalaivas foiled their plans.