Haryana Steelers overcame the challenge of the hitherto unbeaten Gujarat Fortunegiants 32-20 in a Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) clash.
Vikas Khandola was one of the stars for Gujarat. He led the way with some wonderful raids which included a moment of brilliance when he was caught by the rival defenders but managed to touch the line with his legs.
Gujarat fought back strongly after a moderate first half but the Steelers' impressive play kept them ahead. They never allowed Gujarat any leeway and ran away to a 32-20 win.
With seven minutes to go, Haryana led 18-11 and the best efforts of the Fortungiants raider yielded nothing positive.
Surjeet Singh set the ball rolling for the Steelers after Sukesh Hegde won the toss for Fortunesupergiants and opted for the left-hand side of the court.
Surjeet got two points for Haryana with his first raid as the men in blue looked to be front-runners.
It took five minutes for the Gujrat franchise to get on the board as Khandola came up with an unsuccessful raid.
Haryana, buoyed by the good work of Khandola, kept accumulating the points before the opponent managed to fight back.
After 18 minutes of play, the two teams were level on points as Gujarat defence rose to the occasion.
But Haryana defenders Mohit Chillar and Surender Nada too stepped up in the second half to guide Haryana to victory.
Pro Kabaddi Points Table after Haryana Steelers vs Gujarat Fortunegiants Match
Zone A | ||||||
Teams | P | W | L | D | Points | SD |
Puneri Paltan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
Gujarat Fortunegiants | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | -6 |
Dabang Delhi | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | -21 |
U Mumba | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
Haryana Steelers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 11 |
Jaipur Pink Panthers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 |
Zone B | ||||||
Teams | P | W | L | D | Points | SD |
Patna Pirates | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 27 |
Bengaluru Bulls | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14 | -8 |
Telugu Titans | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 11 | -37 |
UP Yodha | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | -2 |
Bengal Warriors | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 26 |
Tamil Thalaivas | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -6 |