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It was a night to remember for the fans of the Haryana Steelers, who secured a massive 46-25 win over the Telugu Titans at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Stadium in Match 101 of PKL 11 on Monday, December 9. Led by another impressive performance from Shivam Patare – who finished with 12 points, Haryana Steelers proved their credentials as table toppers while also getting revenge for their previous loss to the Telugu Titans in the Noida Leg of PKL 11.
Sweet revenge for Haryana Steelers with sublime 21-point victory over Telugu Titans
Haryana Steelers’ raider Vinay began the game in a strong manner, running to three quick raid points to give his team an early lead. For the Telugu Titans, Ashish Narwal started with an impressive raid that got Jaideep and Sanjay off the mat. Despite this minor setback, the Haryana Steelers were on the front foot and inflicted the first ALL OUT on the Telugu Titans just nine minutes into the first half.
The same script continued for the rest of the first half, as the Haryana Steelers extended their lead to a massive 19 points at the break. A lot of these points were down to a second ALL OUT that was inflicted on the Telugu Titans. A confident Mohammadreza Shadloui played the role of a true all-rounder, with three tackle points and two raid points to his name.
Among the raiders, Shivam Patare joined the party and finished the first half with seven points, including a multi-point raid that got Ashish Narwal and Ajit Pawar off the mat. This blow meant the score read 28-9 in favour of the table toppers at the end of the first half.
The second half commenced with an important raid from the Telugu Titans skipper Vijay Malik, who got Shadloui and Jaideep in one fell swoop. However, the Haryana Steelers were not to be kept quiet for too long. Shivam Patare ran to his Super 10 when he got Krishan Dhull in a Do-Or-Die raid. On the other side of the mat, Ashish Narwal and Vijay Malik kept the pressure on their opponents but failed to receive any support from their teammates.
A Super Tackle by Vijay Malik and Ashish Narwal brought a smile on the face of the Telugu Titans fans’ face, and in the very next raid, Ashish was quick to touch Shadloui and return to his side in the final minutes of the clash. This prevented a third ALL OUT on the Telugu Titans, but they eventually lost by 21 points in what is a blow to their playoff ambitions.
Dabang Delhi K.C. edge past Puneri Paltan in edge-of-the-seat clash that ended in 30-26 scoreline
Ashu Malik was once again in the forefront for Dabang Delhi K.C. as they secured a very close victory over the Puneri Paltan in other PKL match. He finished with 13 points to his name and completed his 14th Super 10 of the season as his team moved to fourth on the points table.
Dabang Delhi and Puneri Paltan began the clash on an equal footing, but Ashu Malik showed why he is among the best in the game as he gave his team an early lead. The Puneri Paltan were adept in the defensive department, but for every move from the defending champions, there was a strong response from the Dabang Delhi K.C.
The watchful approach from both sides meant that the game went to the Do-Or-Die raids. As the first half came to a close, a lack of teeth from the raiding department of the Puneri Paltan showed itself as Akash Shinde was successfully tackled by Yogesh. Mohit Goyat pushed on for his side, but he didn’t receive much support as the scoreline read 12-10 in favour of the Dabang Delhi K.C.
As the second half began, a massive Super Raid from one of the best raiders this season – Ashu Malik – saw Gaurav Khatri, Pankaj Mohite, Mohit Goyat, Sanket Sawant and Aman off the mat. This reduced the Puneri Paltan to just two players, but from here, the defending champions worked hard to get themselves back in the game.
A Super Tackle by Abinesh Nadarajan got Ashu Malik, and then Akash Shinde’s successful raid got Yogesh, making up for Ashu’s five-point raid. Then Pankaj Mohite caught Gaurav Chillar, while Mohit Goyat tackled Naveen Kumar, putting pressure on the Season 8 PKL champions.
As the game came to a close, Ashu Malik completed his Super 10 with a running hand touch to eliminate Abinesh Nadarajan to the bench. But for every point that the Dabang Delhi K.C. won, Puneri Paltan had an answer. They equalised the score with seven minutes left on the clash after Aman successfully tackled Ashu Malik, in what was their 12th tackle point of the night.
With the score at 21-21 with six minutes remaining, there was on separating the two teams. In a crucial moment of the game, Dadaso Pujari and Aman found themselves creeping into the lobby and out of the end line to give away two points. Ashu Malik then got Pankaj Mohite and Mohit Goyat in another beautiful move, leaving Akash Shinde the only player from the Puneri Paltan on the mat.
With two minutes left to the final whistle, Akash Shinde was tackled as Dabang Delhi K.C. inflicted the first ALL OUT of the match on the Puneri Paltan. The side coached by Joginder Narwal eventually won by points, prevailing in a very close match to the very end.
