Having already qualified for the playoffs, Puneri Paltan were in great form as they secured a 40-31 win over the Bengaluru Bulls at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
With this victory in a close encounter, Bengaluru Bulls managed to finish the year on a perfect note on Sunday.
The Yoddhas hoped that home court advantage would turn their flagging fortunes around, but in the opening minutes.
It didn't take long, barely halfway through the first period for the Bulls to open up a sizable lead.
The Bulls had a comfortable 14-point lead at the end of the first half, but then, the Puneri Paltan fought valiantly and almost snatched victory.
Arjun Deshwal failed in a bonus point attempt in his team's penultimate raid and Bengal floored the raider in the final move of the game to clinch the match.
With Bengaluru securing a spot in the playoff, the last spot will now be closely fought between UP Yoddha and Telugu Titans.
Despite the loss, Patna moved a place ahead in the team points-table to be at the ninth spot with 39 points, keeping their playoffs hopes alive.
Pawan Sehrawat scored a massive 23 points for the Bulls but the defending champions had to struggle for their victory largely due to Siddharth Desai's raiding prowess at the other end for the Titans.
Pawan Sehrawat, with another Super 10 (17 raid points), was once again the star for the defending champions in a match that saw Patna lead for a long time.
