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PKL Season 11: Bengal Warriorz’s Maninder Singh and Fazel Atrachali produced talismanic performances, as they came from behind and clinched a thrilling win against the Haryana Steelers in their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024 match at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, in Gachibowli, in Hyderabad, on November 3.
Maninder Singh, Fazel Atrachali shine in Bengal Warriorz’s win over Haryana Steelers
The Bengal Warriorz won the contest by a scoreline of 40-38, with Maninder Singh scoring 12 points and Fazel adding 4 more to the cause. For the Haryana Steelers, Vinay scored 10 points and Mohammadreza Shadloui bagged 9.
The Bengal Warriorz and the Haryana Steelers began the game cautiously. The first points went to the Haryana Steelers, as they showed off their defensive powers when they shackled Maninder Singh early on, and then followed it up with a solid tackle on young Sushil Kambrekar. Soon enough, the Haryana Steelers had found their rhythm, and had picked up a 6-point lead within as many minutes.
While Shivam Patare had the most points early on for the Haryana Steelers, captain Jaideep was leading the side brilliantly on the mat. Midway through the first half, Fazel Atrachali landed a Super Tackle but the Haryana Steelers continued to be in box seat. From then on in, the Mighty Maninder scored a flurry of raids, that brought the Bengal Warriorz on level terms with the Haryana Steelers. With 4 minutes to go in the half, Mayur Kadam landed an ALL OUT on the Haryana Steelers, and the Bengal Warriorz stormed into the lead for the first time. At the half-time break, the score read 19-19, and both sides were looking solid.
The Bengal Warriorz started off the second half superbly, with the Sultan Fazel picking up a couple of crucial points, after which Maninder got into the act as well, as they stretched their lead to a 4-point one. Fazel and Maninder were calling the shots on the day for the Bengal Warriorz, while Vinay and Shivam Patare led the way for the Haryana Steelers. 7 minutes into the half, Maninder completed his first Super 10 of the season, as the Bengal Warriorz continued to march on. At the half-hour mark, the Bengal Warriorz had the momentum on their side and led the contest 29-23.
As the half wore on, the Bengal Warriorz looked to tighten the grip on the contest, even as the Haryana Steelers were mounting a late comeback with the likes of the Mohmmadreza Shadloui and Sanjay. However, just as the Haryana Steelers threatened to turn things around, Praveen Thakur inflicted an ALL OUT, which gave the Bengal Warriorz some breathing space. Eventually, the Bengal Warriorz held on for what was a memorable win.
Winning business as usual for the Puneri Paltan
In other match, it was business as usual for the Puneri Paltan, who beat U Mumba 35-28 in the 'Maha Maharashtra Derby'. Skipper Aslam Inamdar was their hero once again, with 10 points (9 Raid Points) in his kitty, and was ably supported by Gaurav Khatri (7 Tackle Points) and Mohit Goyat (9 Raid Points). On the other hand, Ajit Chavan won 9 Raid Points for U Mumba.
An even start to the derby clash saw the two sides winning early points. For the Puneri Paltan, skipper Aslam Inamdar was in peak form, regularly getting the U Mumba players off the mat. However, the opposing skipper and defender Sunil Kumar was equally effective, and with only three U Mumba players on the mat, he trapped Pankaj Mohite for a Super Tackle.
The Puneri Paltan found their groove as the first half went on and got their first ALL OUT after Mohit Goyat entered the party. Playing in tandem with his skipper Inamdar, Goyat won consecutive points, and their combined raiding prowess ensured that the Puneri Paltan had a six-point lead heading into the second half as the score read 22-16.
Gaurav Khatri completed a well-earned High 5 early in the second half as the Puneri Paltan continued to extend their lead over their rivals. But U Mumba kept the pressure on, as Amirmohammad Zafardanesh caught Pankaj Mohite in a Do-Or-Die raid, and then Ajit did well to get Abinesh Nadarajan off the mat.
Despite this, the Puneri Paltan were in the driving seat throughout the game. For every point won by Ajit Chavan for U Mumba, they had to deal with the likes of Mohit Goyat and Akash Shinde. The final nail in the coffin was a Super Raid from Mohit – who got Rinku, Sombir and Ajit in a single raid – as the defending champions went on to secure their fourth win of the season.
