Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers on Sunday secured contrasting wins in the Pro Kabaddi League at the DOME by NSCI in Mumbai. While Paltan edged past Tamil Thalaivas 29-26, the Steelers beat the Bengal Warriors 41-35.
Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui (five tackle points and three raid points) and Gaurav Khatri (six tackle points) were Puneri Paltan’s best players, while Tamil Thalaivas’ skipper Sagar (seven tackle points) was their star performer.
The opening 20 minutes witnessed a see-saw battle between the two teams. Narender gave Tamil Thalaivas a dream start as he came up with a super raid to begin the match and Puneri Paltan were immediately forced onto the back foot. As the half wore on, both teams traded the lead and neither was able to take control of the proceedings as they both adopted a defensive approach.
The first half ended with Puneri Paltan leading 12-11. It was the lowest number of points the side had scored all season.
Tamil Thalaivas began the half with a super tackle as Sagar and Himanshu trapped Mohit Goyat. However, that did not stop Puneri Paltan from cruising ahead as Aslam Inamdar got the better of Sagar to inflict the first all out of the game. The table toppers held a narrow lead at 17-16 in the 24th minute.
The very next raid saw Shadloui escape with a super raid as he tagged two defenders and grabbed a bonus point. With Narender unable to score the big points, Tamil Thalaivas banked on their defence for points and a fine tackle from skipper Sagar on Pankaj Mohite saw him reach five points for the match. It was then Shadloui’s turn to do the same as he stopped Narender with a rock-solid hold to claim his fifth tackle point in the 28th minute.
Tamil Thalaivas produced a mind-blowing comeback in the dying stages of the game. Two super tackles - from M Abishek and Sagar - saw Tamil Thalaivas trail by just three points in the 36th minute. And then a third super tackle from Nitesh Kumar in the 38th minute reduced the deficit to just one point.
It all boiled down to the last raid, where the Tamil Thalaivas were playing with three men and Puneri Paltan had a do-or-die raid. Aslam went on a pursuit raid and claimed a touch on Nitesh, but the on-field umpires ruled in Tamil Thalaivas’ favour and awarded them two points. That meant the scores were tied at 28-28. However, Puneri Paltan reviewed the decision and the TV umpire overturned the decision as Aslam and team wrapped up a nail-biting match by picking up their seventh win on the trot.
Steelers beat Warriors
The Steelers’ Mohit Nandal, Jaideep Dahiya and Mohit combined for 12 tackle points, which proved to be the difference between the sides on the day.
The game truly kicked off with a super raid by Maninder in the third minute of the game, as the Warriors took a slender early lead. For the better part of the next 15 minutes though, the Steelers kept the Warriors’ lead man quiet, not allowing him a single raid point. At the same time, their own raiders kept picking away the points to take them up on points.
The Warriors defence stepped up in the dying minutes, chipping away at their opponents’ numbers, and soon enough Maninder went in to clean up and inflict the first all out of the game. The Warriors went into halftime with a 17-13 lead.
It didn’t take the Steelers long to hit back in the second half with a raiding blitz by Vinay helping them inflict an all out of their own and take a two-point lead. The game was end-to-end, neither side willing to back down, or able to race ahead. The sides were level on points entering the final quarter of the game.
In the final period though the Warriors raiders put the pressure on the Steelers to reduce their numbers. It took a series of super tackles for them to not just stave off the all out but also hold a valuable one-point lead. It made a huge difference, and having just come on as a substitute, Siddharth Desai racked up a super raid with his first of the evening, to extend that lead.
It set up a brilliant end to the game, where the Steelers battled hard defensively to keep their lead, despite losing numbers, and the Warriors trying to get an all out to put them in control. That never arrived, the Steelers defence holding firm, initiating super tackles and keeping their lead. In the final minute, Shivam Patare’s super raid gave them a seven-point lead with three men on the mat. They held out to take the win.