Noida: In a thrilling Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 encounter, the Haryana Steelers showcased their championship pedigree with a commanding 42-30 victory over the Tamil Thalaivas at the Noida Indoor Stadium here.
The Steelers’ clinical performance demonstrated why they currently top the league table, led by standout players Shivam Patare and Vinay, as they left the Thalaivas struggling to keep pace throughout the match on Friday night.
The Haryana Steelers led the charge from the get-go as Shivam Patare and Vinay put early pressure on the Tamil Thalaivas.
In their defence, Rahul and Naveen were on top of things, as they displayed remarkable composure and sharpness to keep the Tamil Thalaivas’ raiders, Sachin and Moein Shafaghi, quiet throughout the first half.
As the first half went on, Shivam Patare and Vinay contributed steadily with raids, coupled with Shadloui’s imposing presence as the Tamil Thalaivas failed to reach the same level.
Struggling to find their rhythm, the Tamil Thalaivas majorly relied on Nitesh Kumar’s defensive brilliance. His three tackle points eclipsed Sachin’s poor performance, as he registered zero points in seven raids, with the score reading 13-10 at the end of the first half.
Despite closing the gap in the first half, the Tamil Thalaivas were unable to maintain the momentum as the Haryana Steelers slowly and steadily took advantage. Sachin Tanwar was tackled by Vinay in a Do-Or-Die raid, while Shivam Patare continued his form to complete 200 raid points in the PKL.
This was followed by a Super Raid that saw Vinay join the 100-point club in PKL season 11, and soon after, Rahul Sethpal’s tackle inflicted the first All-Out of the match on the Tamil Thalaivas.
After the All-Out, the Tamil Thalaivas failed to bounce back. Rahul completed a well-earned High 5, as the Haryana Steelers took a lead that was eventually unassailable.
In what was an all-round performance by the table-toppers, Vinay finished with nine points, while Naveen and Shivam Patare bagged five and six points, respectively.
For the Tamil Thalaivas, Moein Shafaghi’s Super 10 went in vain as their team suffered a 12-point loss.
