Pro Kabaddi 2024: Haryana Steelers win maiden title after beating Patna Pirates in final
Haryana Steelers, who finished at the top of the points table in the league stage, won the final 32-23.
The Haryana Steelers produced an outstanding display to win the Pro Kabaddi 2024 title after defeating the Patna Pirates in the final at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi in Pune on Sunday.
With Mohammadreza Shadloui in full flow, the Haryana Steelers won the final with a scoreline of 32-23. For the Steelers, who finished top of the table in the league stage during PKL Season 11, Shivam Patare scored nine points, Mohammadreza Shadloui bagged seven and Vinay added six more to the cause.
It was an electric start to the big evening, with the Haryana Steelers picking up the first few points, and the lead in the early exchanges. Devank Dalal and Ankit were fighting away for the Patna Pirates but it was the Haryana Steelers, who were dictating terms and controlling the tempo with Shivam Patare and Mohammadreza Shadloui doing the heavy lifting.
The Haryana Steelers’ defence, led by Jaideep and Rahul Sethpal, were showing exactly why they are considered to be one of the best units in the kabaddi competition, as they made scoring extremely tough for the Patna Pirates.
However, as the half progressed, Gurdeep and Sudhakar brought the Patna Pirates back to within touching distance of their opponents.
Devank and Ayan then levelled things up, before Shivam Patare and Vinay, put the Haryana Steelers in the box seat, after which they continued to build on further. At the half-time break, the Haryana Steelers led 15-12.
The second half started off slower than the first, with the Patna Pirates picking up the first points through Sudhakar. The Haryana Steelers had done well to keep Devank and Ayan quiet so far, but the three-time champions were fighting back.
However, Shadloui was scoring crucial points, 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 turn the screws on their opponents, landing the first All Out of the game. Shadloui was in his element, as the Haryana Steelers stormed into a nine-point lead. In the final minutes, the Haryana Steelers managed the game and the clock brilliantly, and slammed the door shut on any hopes of a comeback.
At the end of the forty minutes, the Haryana Steelers walked off the mat with the win, which gave them their first ever PKL title.