Panchkula: Siddharth Desai and Rahul Sethpal starred for Haryana Steelers as they snapped up the final playoff spot by beating Patna Pirates 39-32 in a Season 10 match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Tau Devilal Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Desai claimed 12 raid points and Sethpal bagged 8 tackle points for Haryana Steelers as they emerged victorious. Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj (6 tackle points) and Sanjay (5 tackle points) excelled for Patna Pirates.
Playing their first home game of the season, Haryana Steelers began on a positive note and had a 5-1 lead in no time. However, Patna Pirates, who had chosen to rest their regular starters and played a fresh line-up, struck back through a Super Tackle from Rohit and a fantastic Super Raid from Anuj Kumar. Both sides vied for the lead thereon and neither managed to open up a sizeable lead as they went into the break locked at 13-13.
The Patna Pirates’ defence sprang into action early in the second half as K. Prapanjan was flattened on the mat and Haryana Steelers were reduced to 2 men. Rahul Sethpal offered his side some hope with a strong Super Tackle, but it was only a matter of time before the Patna Pirates got the All-Out. It took a marvellous Super Raid from Rohit as he outwitted all three Haryana Steelers defenders to give his side the lead at 21-18 in the 26th minute.
Siddharth put Haryana Steelers ahead in the very next raid with a stunning 4-point Super Raid as the scoreline read 22-21 in the home team’s favour. Patna Pirates, the three-time champs, dealt only in Super Tackles post that as they raced to a 29-26 lead with Thiyagarajan bagging a High 5.
Siddharth came to Haryana Steelers’ rescue once again as he went through the opposition defence before a strong ankle hold from Mohit on Sanjay led to an All-Out and put the home team ahead at 33-30. With 4 minutes left, the Haryana Steelers slowed the pace of the game and held on to assure themselves of a berth in the playoffs.
–IANS
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