PKL season 11: Haryana Steelers deliver all-round show to overcome Patna Pirates
The Haryana Steelers moved to the top of the points table and extended their winning run to four games after defeating the Patna Pirates 37-32 in a season 11 clash of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Noida Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday. Mohammadreza Shadloui, Shivam Patare, Vinay, and Rahul were all involved in a complete team display as Haryana Steelers got the better of Devank Dalal, Ayan Lohchab, and the rest of the Patna Pirates in the second game of the day.
The Haryana Steelers were quick off the blocks in this contest, with Vinay getting them their first points. It was his two-point raid that gave the Haryana Steelers the lead before Devank leveled things up for the Patna Pirates. However, the Haryana Steelers found their groove rather quickly and managed to get their noses in front once more.
They extended their lead to three points as Shivam Patare put in some quick raids, while Rahul and Mohammadreza Shadloui helped inflict an all-out on the Patna Pirates, nearly doubling the lead for the Haryana Steelers. It was a special moment for Rahul, who completed his milestone of 150 tackle points in the Pro Kabaddi League.
In a tightly contested first half, the Patna Pirates kept themselves in the game and ensured they didn’t fall behind by a big margin, restricting Haryana Steelers’ lead to six points at the end of the half, with the score at 20-14.
Both sides were going toe-to-toe in the early exchanges of the second half, with the Haryana Steelers keeping their lead intact. The Patna Pirates eventually pulled the trigger to try and mount a fightback, with Devank executing a two-point raid and closing the gap for his team to three points.
Haryana Steelers extended their lead back to five points, courtesy of a super tackle on Ayan, putting the brakes on the Patna Pirates’ momentum with under 10 minutes to go in the game. The three-time champions are the only team to overcome a five-point deficit three or more times in PKL 11, so there was plenty of life left in this contest despite the Haryana Steelers holding a narrow lead.
It seemed like the Patna Pirates would once again pull off a comeback late in this contest. In a manic passage of play, the gap was quickly closed to one point with the Patna Pirates executing an all-out on the Haryana Steelers. However, they handed the initiative right back to the Haryana Steelers after a costly error.
That helped the Haryana Steelers extend their lead back to five points in the blink of an eye. From there on, it was a matter of keeping their calm and playing it smartly to make sure they kept themselves in the lead as the clock ran out. The Haryana Steelers eventually got over the line with a scoreline of 37-32 and are now at the top of the table as a result.
