Stall  former champions Patna Pirates in epic final for their maiden title

Haryana Steelers outplayed three times former champions Patna Pirates 32-23.to clinch their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune.

For Haryana Steelers who were playing their second final in as many years, raiders Shivam Patare and Vinay scored nine and six points respectively, all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui on the other hand contributed seven to the winning cause much to the delight of their coach Manpreet Singh. For record, former Indian captain Manpreet in the process became the first athlete to win a PKL title as a player and coach, after having previously endured heartbreak in three PKL finals as a coach against a team whom he led in Season 3.  The champions were awarded Rs. 3 Crore whilst the runners-up Patna Pirates bagged Rs. 1.8 Crore. 

The much awaited Season 11 summit clash witnessed an electrifying start with the Haryana Steelers, who were the table toppers in the league stage, taking a lead in the early exchanges. Devank Dalal and Ankit Jaglan lead Patna Pirates charge , but it was the Haryana Steelers, who were dictating terms and controlling the tempo, with Shivam and Iranian Mohammadreza doing the heavy lifting. 

The Haryana Steelers’ league’s strongest defence once again was led by their captain Jaideep and Rahul Sethpal, who showcased exactly why they are considered to be one of the best units in the competition, and made scoring extremely tough for the Patna Pirates renowned for its most potent attack this season. However, as the half progressed, Gurdeep and Sudhakar brought Patna back to within touching distance of their opponents. 

Devank and Ayan then levelled things up, before local favourite Shivam who has spent a large part of his career training at this very venue along with his team mate Vinay, put the Haryana in the box seat, after which the Season 10 runners-up continued to build on further. At the half-time break, the Haryana Steelers led marginally by three points (15-12). 

The second half started off slower than the first, with the Patna Pirates picking up the first points through Sudhakar to lead former champions to fight back. 

However, the Show Stopper Mohammadreza scored crucial points against his former team, 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, which had the game on a knife-edge. 

After that, the Haryana Steelers started to make inroads in to the opponents defense, by inflicting the first ALL OUT in the 33rd minute of the game with the defense rising to the occasion and fleet footed Mohammadreza who was in his elements (who also became the top defender of the league with 82 tackle points narrowly ahead of rival skipper Ankit who registered 79)  , that ensured the JSW Cement owned franchise an impressive nine point unassailable lead.

In the final minutes, the Haryana Steelers managed the game and the clock brilliantly with their balanced approach to end any hopes of a comeback for their fancied rivals,  much to the delight of their supporters whose chants’ Jeetega bhai jeetega, Haryana jeetega’  reverberated the arena throughout the course of the final.

Haryana Steelers in the process won their eighth game in 14 outings over the years as against Patna Pirates who have won five times while one match ended in a tie.

 Interestingly the highly entertaining and tightly contested Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has witnessed six different champions while showcasing the ultimate test of strength, strategy. Incidentally five of them have won it for the first time in the past six years, and speed comes at the back of Patna Pirates annexing a hat-trick of titles in Season 3, 4 and 5.

Earlier in the semi-finals the Haryana Steelers showed nerves of steel and won a closely fought contest against UP Yoddhas by a scoreline of 28-25, with Shivam Patare, Vinay, Rahul, and Mohammadreza Shadloui playing starring roles in the victory. This is the second consecutive time that the Haryana Steelers have made the final of the PKL.

Patna Pirates who had knocked out U Mumba’s in the Eliminator 2 on the other hand clinched a thrilling victory against yet another former champion Dabang Delhi K.C. by a scoreline of 32-28, with the dynamic duo of Devank and Ayan leading the way alongside Shubham Shinde, who registered a High 5 and Ankit, who scored four tackle points.

Tournament Individual Awards

HPCL Gen6 Raid of Season 11: Manjeet Sharma (Telugu Titans)
Shriram Finance 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)
Mashal Sports New Young Player of Season 11: Ayan Lohchab (Patna Pirates)
Most Valuable Player of Season 11: Mohammadreza Shadloui (Haryana Steelers)
Mother Dairy Super Coach of Season 11: Manpreet Singh (Haryana Steelers) 

Photo Cover: Action packed moment from the PKLS Season 11 final played between Haryana Steelers (Blue Jersey) and Patna Pirates (Green-Yellow Jersey)

Photo Above: League table toppers Haryana Steelers players and Coach Manpreet Singh savor their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title (Photos courtesy PKL)