Hyderabad, (Samajweekly) The Haryana Steelers recorded their first-ever playoffs victory in emphatic style, beating the Gujarat Giants 42-25 in the Eliminator match of Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Monday. The Steelers will play the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the semifinals.
While the raiding duo of Vinay (12 points) and Shivam Patare (8 points) duly took the applause, the architect of the Steelers’ victory was a brilliant Mohit Nandal whose 7 tackle points effectively destroyed the Giants’ qualification hopes.
A high-octane encounter deserved a high-octane start and so it was with the Steelers almost right from the outset all over the Giants. The Steelers’ raiding duo of Vinay Vinay and Shivam Patare were devastating and soon enough inflicted the first All-Out of the game to give the Steelers a seven-point lead.
The Giants knew that as long as they could keep their heads they would stay in the game and soon enough they turned the tables on the Steelers. A Super Raid by Parteek Dahiya to take out Mohit Nandal, Jaideep Dahiya and Rahul Sethpal cascaded into an All-Out for the Giants who hadn’t just fought back but also taken a one-point lead.
A battle of attrition followed in the last five minutes of the half, with the Steelers defence really coming to the fore, Mohit Nandal, in particular, thwarting the Giants’ attempts to extend the lead, and instead turning the tables on them. The Steelers went into the break leading 21-16.
The Steelers’ late rally had left the Giants reeling, and early in the second half, they were forced into a second All-Out. From there the Steelers’ dominance grew steadily, and soon enough Vinay and Patare were grabbing points for fun. Vinay’s Super Raid to take out Sombir, Deepak Singh and D. Balaji helped the Steelers to a third All-Out as they took a massive 36-19 lead going into the final ten minutes of the game.
They thwarted any slim chance the Giants harboured of registering a comeback, Vinay and Mohit Nandal both adamant not just to ensure the victory but also extend its margin. They ended up with a massive 17 points to qualify for the semifinals.
