The Haryana Steelers and Patna Pirates won their respective semi-finals to set-up a mouth watering title clash in the 2024 Pro Kabaddi League on Friday.
While the Steelers got the better of UP Yoddhas 28-25 in the first semi-final, the Pirates went past Dabang Delhi KC 32-28 in the second match of the night.
Steelers edge past Yoddhas
The Steelers entered their second consecutive final, with Shivam Patare, Vinay, Rahul, and Mohammadreza Shadloui playing starring roles in the victory.
It was an action-packed start to the evening, with both the Steelers and the Yoddhas going for the kill in the early exchanges, as they looked to gain momentum. It was neck and neck in the first few minutes, before the UP Yoddhas, pulled away with a three-point lead.
Mohammadreza Shadloui and Vinay were doing the heavy lifting for the Haryana Steelers, while Gagan Gowda and Sumit led the charge for the UP Yoddhas.
As the half wore on, both sides traded points, raids, and tackles, and neither side could pull away with the lead. Vinay was scoring crucial points for the Haryana Steelers, while Bhavani Rajput ensured the UP Yoddhas stayed within touching distance. Even as the defensive units of both the teams kept things quite secure, the Steelers were able to go into the half-time break with a lead of 12-11.
Early in the second half, the Steelers put the foot down on the accelerator, and notched up an all out on their opponents, which put the pressure on the UP Yoddhas.
Patare and Vinay were causing the opposition defence all sorts of problems, while Shadloui was chipping in with important points as well. At the half-hour mark, the Haryana Steelers were well and truly in the box seat, and had a three-point lead.
The domination from the Steelers continued, and they kept the UP Yoddhas at bay with relative ease. The table toppers in the league stage of PKL Season 11, were showing their mettle, even though Gagan Gowda and Rajput were doing their best to upset the apple cart.
With the clock running into the final minutes, it was up to the Yoddhas to chase game, and Gowda was doing his best to level things up. He completed his Super 10 in the final minute, but the Steelers showed why their defence is considered to be so dangerous, as they slammed the door shut on any chance of a comeback.
Pirates win a thriller
The Patna Pirates sealed a nail-biting win, with the dynamic duo of Devank and Ayan leading the way alongside Shubham Shinde, who registered a High-5 and Ankit scoring four tackle points.
Patna Pirates came flying out of the blocks with Devank wasting no time to make his presence felt on a night where he amassed the 300-raid point mark in his career. He opened his account with three successful raids on the go to give his side a lead in the early stages.
Dabang Delhi soon found themselves in trouble as Shubham Shinde tackled Ashu Malik, putting the three-time champions in the ascendancy.
Dabang Delhi responded strongly after a tackle from Rahul got the better of Devank. Naveen Kumar followed it up with a successful do-or-die Raid to close the gap to one point in this tense affair before Ayan took over for the Patna Pirates. His efforts on the raiding end helped his side extend their lead to five points with the score at 8-3 after the first ten minutes of the game.
A super raid from Mohit gave Dabang Delhi a lifeline as they closed the gap once more. However, they couldn’t quite find their way back into the contest as Devank returned to pile on the misery. Shubham Shinde then delivered a hammer blow, tackling Ashu Malik to inflict an all out and putting Patna Pirates in the driver’s seat.
With the Patna Pirates defense all over their opponents, the Dabang Delhi raiders couldn’t find their groove. It was the defensive efforts from Rahul and Yogesh that helped them find some momentum eventually, cutting the deficit to seven points, trailing 17-10 at the end of the first half.
It was a cautious start to the second half with the defenders on top for both sides. Deepak and Shubham Shinde made sure they kept their foot on the gas, while Sandeep and Yogesh did the same for Dabang Delhi. With some momentum on their side, they reduced the deficit to five points, rekindling some hope for the season eight champions.
They further reduced the gap to four points courtesy of Mohit stepping up to the plate with a two-point raid. Ashu Malik also eventually found his mojo, scoring a two-point raid of his own, making it 18-22 as the game entered its final phase. Dabang Delhi didn’t waste any time to make it a one-point game as Rahul pulled off a stunning tackle on Devank, helping his team inflict an all out on Patna Pirates.
The season eight champions levelled the score at 25-25 with under seven minutes to go, making it a humdinger as the game went down to the wire. They got their first lead of the night at a crucial stage, as Yogesh tackled Devank on a do-or-die Raid.
Patna Pirates came back strongly as Shubham Shinde completed his High-5, regaining a one-point lead in this nail-biter of a contest.
Ayan and Mohit exchanged successful die-or-die Raids, keeping Patna Pirates’ one-point lead with under a minute to go.
They prevailed in the clutch moments as Ankit’s swift tackle on Naveen Kumar, followed by Ayan’s two-point raid sealed the deal for the three-time champions, helping them advance to their fifth PKL Final.
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