Haryana Steelers emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter in the final game of Saturday evening of vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9, as they went past gritty Bengal Warriors to earn a 41-33 win at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru. For the Steelers, Manjeet Dahiya finished with 19 points, while all-rounder Nitin Rawal chipped in with 7 points to help their team secure a thumping win.
It was the mighty Maninder Singh who started the proceedings from Bengal Warriors, but Haryana Steelers right cover Mohit tackled the experienced raider to give Steelers their opening point. With Haryana Steelers Vice-Captain Manjeet Dahiya quickly earning a raid point with a bonus, Haryana Steelers took an early lead at 4-1. Trailing early on, Bengal Warriors showcased stunning defensive work with Girish Maruti Ernak impressing with his reflexive actions to get the very dangerous Meetu out twice in a row.
With 10 minutes gone in the first half, and the scoreline almost at par, one could cut the tension at both the dugouts with a butter knife. But the momentum of the game appeared to change when Manjeet got Shubham Shinde out with the stretch of his right hand, and Steelers, within a matter of a couple of points, extended the lead by four points. But Girish Maruti Ernak lit up the mat with his superb defence work and brought Bengal Warriors back into the contest, bossing around the Haryana Steelers raiders. Bengal Warriors took a 13-12 lead at half-time with Girish earning 6 points in that thrilling first half.
The second half started with Nitin Rawal giving Haryana Steelers a super-start with a SUPER RAID along with a bonus point. Nitin Rawal continued his superb work in defence as well, as he put on a herculean effort to get hold of Manjeet, as Haryana Steelers inflicted a SUPER TACKLE to further increase their lead to 18-14. The tables turned once again as Bengal Warriors inflicted an ALL OUT on Haryana Steelers to close the gap to 19-20. As both teams continued to maintain the scoreline at par, the unpredictability of the encounter kept rising.
The game-changing moment came near the half-time mark in the second half when Manjeet managed to grab two raid points. The momentum of the match shifted completely in Haryana Steelers' favour when they inflicted an ALL OUT to further extend their lead to 31-24. Manjeet earned a Super 10 to live up to the billing.
With just a few minutes left on the clock, Manjeet put the final nail in the coffin as he earned a SUPER TACKLE to hand Haryana Steelers a massive lead at 37-24. The Warriors continued to fight till the final whistle, but were unable to change the outcome as Steelers earned a comprehensive victory.
