Pro Kabaddi League: Telugu Titans beat Tamil Thalaivas in season 5 opener; Puneri Paltan hammer U Mumba

New Delhi: The much-awaited season five of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) kicked started with a double-header on Friday at Hyderabad with Telugu Titans getting the better of debutants Tamil Thalaivas in the opener. In the second match, Puneri Paltan hammered former champions, U Mumba.

The 2017 edition of one of India's best leagues started with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar singing the National Anthem at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. After a brief opening ceremony, hosts Telugu Titans took on Sachin Tendulkar's Thalaivas in a Zone B clash.

Titans relied on the brilliance of skipper Rahul Chaudhari to beat the debutants from Chennai 32-27. Chaudhari's 10 points were effectively the difference in the close encounter.

Nilesh Salunke also starred for the hosts securing seven points out of his 14 raids.

Vishal Bhardwaj (five points) and Farhad Milaghardan (4) also scored crucial points for the winning team. Thalaivas' star raiders Ajay Thakur (6) and K Prapanjan (7) scored significant points for their side.

In the second game, Pune outfit produced a scintillating performance to overwhelm Maharshtra neighbors and former U Mumba 33-21. The Zone A clash a deadly combo on skipper Deepak Hooda and Sandeep Narwal.

The Mumbai outfit, despite a brilliant outing from skipper Anup Kumar – who scored eight points, failed to make a match out of their opponents and succumbed to the scoreboard pressure.

Pune's easy win was a result of brilliant work from defenders Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Ravi Kumar. They have as many as 15 tackle points, as compared to seven for Mumbai.