Haryana Steelers players held their nerves in crucial moments and registered a 39-34 win over three-time winners Patna Pirates in Pro Kabaddi League season 7 at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday. The second match of the day between Dabang Delhi and defending champions Bengaluru Bulls also changed hands several times during the match and in the end ended in a tie as both teams finished on 39 points each. Haryana Steelers riding on the raiding brilliance of their star-raider Vikash Khandola (13 points) edged past Pardeep Narwal's Patna Pirates, despite the skipper scoring 17 points. Haryana earned more tackle points than Patna and that proved crucial in the overall outcome of the game.
Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vikash Kandola picked up two early raid points in the game which set the tempo for Haryana.
The Patna Pirates tried to fight back with a few raid points, but Kandola's brilliant raid in the 14th minute helped the Steelers stay ahead.
At half-time, Haryana led by two points thanks to Prashanth's attacking play.
The Patna Pirates fought back with a couple of raid points and leveled the scores at 17-17 in the 21st minute.
Haryana Steelers took a six-point lead at 27-21 after Ravi Kumar pulled off an all-out in the 27th minute.
Patna Pirates stayed in the contest when they picked up four points in a single raid in the 30th minute, but the Steelers ensured that they stayed in the lead through raid points.
Haryana players showed great character in the tensed moments of the game which helped them wrap the hard-fought match in their favour.
- Haryana Steelers registered a 49-34 win over Pantna Pirates
- Bengaluru Bulls and Dabang Delhi finished on 39 points each
- Vikash Kandola picked up most points for Haryana Steelers
