Panchkula, Feb 20 (UNI) Puneri Paltan put Haryana Steelers to the sword and took a massive 51-36 victory in Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 at the Tau Devilal Indoor Stadium here on Monday night.
Mohit Goyat’s star turn from the bench handed the game to Puneri Paltan, who had started otherwise with a second string side with an eye on the playoffs.
Akash Shinde kicked off the game in style for Puneri Paltan with a multi-point raid, almost immediately putting the Steelers under pressure.
The Steelers spent the next few minutes on the defensive, and it took one Super Tackle to stave off an early All-Out and keep them within reach. Just as they seemed to have slowly gained momentum though, Paltan inflicted an All-Out to take a 12-7 lead.
A controlled second quarter of the game saw the Steelrs not just edge back into the contest but also wrest back the lead. A Super Raid by Vinay to take out Abinesh Nadarajan, Pankaj Mohite and Gaurav Khatri turned the tables on Paltan.
Mohit Goyat’s individual brilliance staved off a Paltan All-Out and soon after, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh came up with an outrageous Super Tackle to swing the momentum firmly back in Paltan’s favour. They inflicted a second All-Out to take a 11-point lead which they took into the break.
In the second half, the Steelers again rallied together for a comeback of sorts, and yet again, Goyat almost single handedly slammed the brakes on it. They inflicted a third All-Out halfway through the second half to extend their lead.
Despite a final quarter fightback the Steelers had left themselves with too much of a deficit to deal with and bridge. A series of Super Tackles avoided further humiliation, but did nothing to the Paltan who wrapped up a comprehensive victory.