The Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 action continued on Friday as Puneri Paltan took on Haryana Steelers in the first game of the night and UP Yoddhas locked horns with the inaugural champions in the second match.
The Paltan made a brilliant comeback against Haryana Steelers after their loss to Patna Pirates the previous night. The Pune team gave no chance to the Steelers as they won the game by 45-27.
Paltan’s young raiders Mohit Goyat and Aslam Imandar led the charge for their side as both got points at will. Mohit scored a Super 10, while Aslam took six raid points. Both of them contributed in defence as well, as they each scored a couple of tackle points. Sombir, though, led the defence for Pune as he scored seven tackle points and didn’t let any Steelers raiders settle.
Haryana Steelers, who were playing to fight for a spot in the top two, couldn’t settle into a rhythm as they got all out thrice. Vikas Khandola, their captain and the main raider, was kept quiet by the Paltan defence. He could manage just five raid points.
In defence, the combination of Mohit and Jaideep couldn’t get going at all as they picked up just a single tackle point. Ashish was the only shining light for the Steelers as he picked up three tackle points and five raid points.
This win has given the Paltan the much-needed boost as they have now increased their chances to qualify for the playoffs.
Pradeep Narwal continued his good form as he completed yet another Super 10, scoring a total of 14 raid points to hand UP Yoddhas yet another win in the PKL8. He scored three super raids, which helped his team clinch a victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers 41-34.
The match wasn’t as one-sided as the final result may indicate, as the Panthers dominated most of the first half. The Panthers inflicted an all-out in the first half to get a slight lead, but the Yoddhas’ made a quick comeback as the first half ended on 19-18.
The second half also saw a topsy-turvy contest, but the Yoddhas took the game away in the final few minutes. For the Panthers, it was yet again Arjun Deswal who led their raiding department with 14 raid points. In defence, Sahul Kumar got the most tackle points.
This win has put the Yoddhas fourth on the points table while the Panthers find themselves on the sixth position.
