Haryana Steelers beat Patna Pirates. (X, PKL)
Siddharth Desai and Rahul Sethpal helped the Steelers register a 39- 32 win over the Pirates as they sealed the final playoff spot in the ongoing PKL season. The Titans’ disastrous run continued as they went down 44-51 to the Pink Panthers on Friday.
Siddharth Desai and Rahul Sethpal starred for Haryana Steelers as they snapped up the final playoff spot by beating Patna Pirates 39-32 in a Season 10 match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Tau Devilal Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Desai claimed 12 raid points and Sethpal bagged 8 tackle points for Haryana Steelers as they emerged victorious. Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj (6 tackle points) and Sanjay (5 tackle points) excelled for Patna Pirates.
Playing their first home game of the season, Haryana Steelers began on a positive note and had a 5-1 lead in no time. However, Patna Pirates, who had chosen to rest their regular starters and played a fresh line-up, struck back through a Super Tackle from Rohit and a fantastic Super Raid from Anuj Kumar. Both sides vied for the lead thereon and neither managed to open up a sizeable lead as they went into the break locked at 13-13.
The Patna Pirates’ defence sprang into action early in the second half as K. Prapanjan was flattened on the mat and Haryana Steelers were reduced to 2 men. Rahul Sethpal offered his side some hope with a strong Super Tackle, but it was only a matter of time before the Patna Pirates got the All-Out. It took a marvellous Super Raid from Rohit as he outwitted all three Haryana Steelers defenders to give his side the lead at 21-18 in the 26th minute.
Siddharth put Haryana Steelers ahead in the very next raid with a stunning 4-point Super Raid as the scoreline read 22-21 in the home team’s favour. Patna Pirates, the three-time champs, dealt only in Super Tackles post that as they raced to a 29-26 lead with Thiyagarajan bagging a High 5.
Siddharth came to Haryana Steelers’ rescue once again as he went through the opposition defence before a strong ankle hold from Mohit on Sanjay led to an All-Out and put the home team ahead at 33-30. With 4 minutes left, the Haryana Steelers slowed the pace of the game and held on to assure themselves of a berth in the playoffs.
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Telugu Titans 44-51 Jaipur Pink Panthers
An inspired Pawan Sehrawat was not enough for the Telugu Titans who went down to the Jaipur Pink Panthers 44-51 at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana, on Friday. Sehrawat logged an incredible 22 points, 17 on the raid and five tackling, and yet was let down by a disjointed team in the evening.
As has been the norm this season Arjun Deshwal logged 16 raid points for the Pink Panthers to help them a hard-fought victory. Contrary to expectations, and form, the Titans made a rapid start to the game and within two raids, Pawan Sehrawat had the Pink Panthers already depleted on the mat. A Super Tackle at a crucial moment staved off the all-out for a time, but Sehrawat did not let up and soon enough they inflicted the first All-Out of the game to streak into a lead.
The Pink Panthers rallied after that to briefly draw level, but a second All-Out inflicted by the Titans extended them into a three-point lead which they consolidated almost immediately. Sehrawt’s Super Raid to take out Ashish, Abhishek K.S. and Sunil Kumar put the Pink Panthers on the ropes, and the Titans went into the break leading 28-20.
The Pink Panthers hit back early in the second half and inflicted an All-Out of their own to claw back the lead. Deshwal’s Super Raid to take out Ankit and Milad Jabbari seemed to have turned the momentum in favour of the defending champions, but the Titans did not let up.
An end-to-end contest saw the Pink Panthers hold a one-point lead going into the final five minutes of the game, albeit with fewer numbers on the mat. With one minute of the game left, Abhijeet Malik’s Super Raid to take out Shankar Gadai, Ankit and Milad Jabbari set up another All-Out that effectively wrapped up the game.
The young raider’s five-point raid put a massive nine-point gap between the sides. The Titans cut the lead down a bit in the end, but the Pink Panthers wrapped up a deserved victory.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – IANS)
