Pune, Dec 29
Haryana Steelers, who finished top of the table in the league stage during PKL season 11, produced an outstanding display on the mat on Sunday evening, as they went onto clinch their maiden PKL crown, after they defeated the Patna Pirates, at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune.
With the show stopper Shadloui in full flow, the Haryana Steelers won the final with a scoreline of 32-23. For the Haryana Steelers, the champions, Shivam Patare scored 9 points, Mohammadreza Shadloui bagged 7, and Vinay added 6 more to the cause. The champions were awarded Rs 3 crore whilst the runners-up Patna Pirates bagged Rs 1.8 crore.
It was an electric start to the big evening, with the Haryana Steelers picking up the first few points and taking the lead in the early exchanges. Devank and Ankit were fighting hard for the Patna Pirates, but it was the Haryana Steelers who were dictating terms and controlling the tempo, with Shivam Patare and Mohammadreza Shadloui doing the heavy lifting. Haryana Steelers’ defense, led by Jaideep and Rahul Sethpal, showed exactly why they are considered one of the best units in the competition, making scoring extremely tough for the Patna Pirates.
As the half progressed, Gurdeep and Sudhakar brought the Patna Pirates back to within touching distance of their opponents. Devank and Ayan then leveled things up before Shivam Patare and Vinay put the Haryana Steelers in the box seat. The season 10 runners-up continued to build on their lead, and at the half-time break, the Haryana Steelers led 15-12.
The second half started off slower than the first, with the Patna Pirates picking up the first points through Sudhakar. Haryana Steelers had done well to keep Devank and Ayan quiet so far, but the three-time champions were fighting back. However, the show stopper Shadloui was scoring crucial points, as was Jaideep, which kept the Haryana Steelers in the hunt for their first title in the history of the PKL.
Close to the half-hour mark, the Haryana Steelers had a three-point lead, keeping the game on a knife-edge. After that, the Haryana Steelers started to turn the screws on their opponents, landing the first ALL OUT of the game. The show stopper Shadloui was in his element as the Haryana Steelers stormed into a 9-point lead. In the final minutes, they managed the game and the clock brilliantly, shutting down any hopes of a comeback.
At the end of the forty minutes, the Haryana Steelers walked off the mat with the win, which secured them their first-ever PKL title.
Tournament Awards
- Raid of Season 11: Manjeet (Telugu Titans)
- Tackle of Season 11: Ankit (Patna Pirates)
- Best Raider of Season 11: Devank Dalal (Patna Pirates)
- Best Defender of Season 11: Nitesh Kumar (Tamil Thalaivas)
- New Young Player of Season 11: Ayan Lohchab (Patna Pirates)
- Most Valuable Player of Season 11: Mohammadreza Shadloui (Haryana Steelers)
- Super Coach of Season 11: Manpreet Singh (Haryana Steelers)