Patna Pirates thrash Bengal Warriors on the back of Ayan’s career-best 27-point masterclass

Patna Pirates edged past Bengal Warriors 51–49 in a high-scoring thriller at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi, on Friday. The match produced a total of 100 points — the highest in PKL Season 12 — as both marquee raiders, Ayan Lohchab and Devank Dalal, crossed the 20-point mark. This was only the third time in PKL history that two raiders scored 20+ points in the same match.

Ayan Lohchab scored a career-best 27 points, the most by any player this season, surpassing Devank Dalal’s 25 points. Despite the defeat, Devank achieved a major milestone by completing 250 raid points this season, and this was also the fourth time he has scored 20+ points in a single match this year. Substitute Milan Dahiya made a crucial impact for Patna, adding four valuable points.

Both teams began aggressively, with Devank and Ayan leading their sides’ scoring charge. Balaji D’s tackle and Ankit Rana’s two-point raid helped Patna take an early lead. Although a super tackle from the Warriors kept them in the contest, Ayan soon forced the first all-out of the game, giving Patna a seven-point advantage.

Bengal Warriors bounced back as Devank and Himanshu Narwal led the raiding charge, while Paratik contributed with a crucial tackle. The contest quickly turned into a personal duel between Devank and Ayan, with both raiders showcasing their brilliance. A tackle by Ankit on Ayan gave Bengal some breathing room, narrowing the gap to four points.

The Season 7 champions turned things around with Himanshu Narwal’s two-point raid, followed by Ashish Malik’s tackle and a multi-point raid from Devank that handed Bengal their first all-out and the lead. During this phase, Devank also completed his 15th consecutive Super 10, closing an action-packed first half with a 26–23 lead for Bengal.

In the second half, Ayan and Ankit Rana fought hard to bring Patna back into the game, but Bengal’s defense held firm, executing multiple super tackles. Ankit completed two super tackles, extending Bengal’s lead to six points, while Ashish Malik and Manjeet added to the tally. Manjeet’s fourth super tackle pushed the Warriors ahead by nine points with just ten minutes left.

However, the Pirates refused to give up. Milan Dahiya’s two-point raid and a vital tackle from Ankit Jaglan set up an all-out opportunity, which Ayan converted, reducing the deficit to just four points with seven minutes remaining.

Milan Dahiya then produced a match-turning moment, inflicting an all-out to give Patna a one-point lead. Moments later, Ayan delivered a sensational super raid, extending the advantage to four points with under two minutes to go.

In the dying moments, Devank earned a few quick points to keep Bengal’s hopes alive, cutting the lead to just one. In the final do-or-die raid, Ayan had to seal the match. The Warriors’ captain’s mistimed tackle attempt on his former teammate backfired, allowing Ayan to clinch the decisive raid point — and with it, a two-point victory for Patna Pirates in one of the most thrilling encounters of PKL Season 12.