Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 28 : Haryana Steelers showed nerves of steel to secure a berth in the final of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 11 after a thrilling win over UP Yoddhas in the first semi-final to book a date with the three-time Champions Patna Pirates.
With Shivam Patare, Vinay, and Rahul Sethpal playing starring roles, Steelers picked up a memorable 28-25 win. The closely-fought contest saw Steelers maintaining their calm throughout the match, despite losing a few points while going in for the tackle.
Coach Manpreet Singh explained his team's philosophy in the post-match conference.
"We knew UP Yoddhas will be trying to steal bonus points as throughout the season, they have relied a lot on bonuses. Even in our last game, they stole a few points from us by crossing the bonus line. So, our defence knew that we had to go for a bounce, even if we lost a few tackle points. As long as we do not give too many raids away, we will remain in a good position," he said, according to a PKL release.
The strategy worked, as Haryana broke the threshold inflicting their 29th All Out of the season early on in the second half, giving themselves the lead. Meanwhile, Iranian allrounder Shadloui climbed to the top in the list of defenders this season with 77 tackle points after the match. Tied alongside Patna's Ankit Jaglan, Shadloui set up an exciting battle for the orange sleeve in the final.
Additionally, Rahul's impressive positioning in the defence earned him praise from Captain Jaideep at the press conference.
"Rahul is a great defender. He has a solid mindset and he has been a wall in our defence. He has proved himself time and time again. He made some crucial tackles at the right moments today. I cannot praise him enough," Jaideep said.
The Super Tackle earned by Haryana in the dying minutes of the game closed out the game and Manpreet described it as the 'turning point' of the match.
"If we had not attained the Super Tackle, anything could have happened as the game was too close to call till the final whistle. I am really proud of the team's efforts," he said,as quoted by PKL.
Now, Steelers will gear up for the final, but the path to the trophy will not be an easy one - as they would have to square off against a side that knows only too well how to win big matches. The Pirates have lifted the trophy thrice in the past, being the only franchise in history to do so. The side also won the trophy three consecutive times between Season 3 and Season 5, and have established themselves a force to reckon with.
Patna Pirates' Devank has also been the best raider this season with 296 raid points, the highest this season, with an average raid point of 12.33, the best among all players. He has also attained 18 Super Raids, the joint-highest of the season.
The brewing on-field rivalry between Devank and Manpreet also adds spice to the finale. The Haryana coach, known for his expressive demeanour on court, did not hold back and exchanged a few words with Devank during their last on-court meeting in December. In return, the Patna raider also did not mince his words in recent interviews, and expressed burning desire to get a win against the Steelers.
Speaking on the upcoming final, Manpreet said, "We will look to perform even better in the Final. We have reached this stage two times in a row now. This time we finished on top in the league stage. I do not need to talk much about how well we are playing this season, everyone knows it. We are filled with confidence. I am sure we will fight even harder in the final and we will aim to give our 100 percent to play entertaining kabaddi and win the trophy."
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