Haryana Steelers made history by winning their maiden Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title on Sunday. After finishing top of the table in the league stage during PKL Season 11, they produced an outstanding display on the mat on Sunday evening. The Haryana Steelers won the final with a scoreline of 32-23. Shivam Patare scored 9 points for the title Haryana Steelers, Mohammadreza Shadloui added 7, and Vinay contributed 6.
The winners were paid INR 3 crore, while the runners-up, Patna Pirates, received INR 1.8 crore. The Haryana Steelers scored the opening few points and took the lead in the early stages. Devank and Ankit were fighting hard for the Patna Pirates, but they were dictating terms and controlling the pace, with Patare and Shadloui doing the heavy lifting.
The Haryana Steelers’ defense, commanded by Jaideep and Rahul Sethpal, demonstrated why they are regarded as one of the best groups. They made scoring extremely difficult for the opponents. However, as the half progressed, Gurdeep and Sudhakar helped the Patna Pirates get back within touching distance of their opponents. Devank and Ayan then levelled things up until Shivam Patare and Vinay put them in the box seat.
Played like true champions
The Season 10 runners-up went on to develop further. At halftime, the Steelers led 15-12. The second half began slower than the first, with the Patna Pirates scoring the first points through Sudhakar. The Steelers had done a good job of keeping Devank and Ayan quiet so far, but the three-time champs were fighting back. However, show-stopper Shadloui and Jaideep secured key points.
This kept the Haryana Steelers in contention for their maiden PKL crown. Near the half-hour mark, the Haryana Steelers held a three-point lead, putting the game on a knife-edge. In the last minutes, the Steelers skilfully managed the game and the time, putting an end to any thoughts of a comeback. After forty minutes, the Haryana Steelers came off the mat with their maiden PKL trophy.
