PKL 8: Haryana beat Delhi, UP register win over Bengal

Vikash Kandola delayed the ALL OUT with the brave raiding that got him a SUPER 10.

Vikash Kandola was the star for Haryana Steelers as they beat neighbours Dabang Delhi K.C. 36-33 in Match 68 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 8. The Steelers captain scored a Super 10 (13 points) in a dominant display by his team.

Coach Rakesh Kumar’s Haryana had a brief scare in the game when 5 players entered the lobby without a touch on the raider. But they kept calm to ensure they came away with all 5 points. Delhi desperately missed their star raider Naveen Kumar’s services. 

Haryana dominated the first 20 minutes of the PKL match with Vikash Kandola taking up the primary raiding duties. He was supported well by Vinay and Ashish as they clinched an ALL OUT close to the 15th minute of the game. The Delhi defenders had a poor outing with no successful tackles before the interval. With Naveen Kumar still out, the raiding duties had fallen on the shoulders of Vijay and Sandeep Narwal. The latter tried his best and was perhaps the only positive for Delhi in a first half that ended 19-11 in Haryana’s favour. 

Krishan got two tackle points from the right corner for Delhi as they planned a comeback. But Steelers’ Vikash Kandola ensured Delhi remained on the backfoot with his classic fast raiding. Fate had other plans for the Steelers though as 5 of their defenders followed Delhi raider in the lobby without a touch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR5jyfY4OsE

The move resulted in 5 points for Delhi and revived their team back on the mat. Vikash Kandola delayed the ALL OUT with the brave raiding that got him a SUPER 10. Delhi eventually got it with 7 minutes remaining to reduce Haryana’s lead to 3 points.  

The upset Steelers looked uncertain the defence after the ALL OUT as Delhi’s Neeraj Narwal picked up two 2-point raids to level the scores. But young Jaideep took the matter into his own hands. In the dying minutes, he pulled off two stunning tackles for Haryana. That gave Haryana the lead and Delhi failed to close the gap with their raids.  

Sumit and Nitesh Kumar were in incredible form.

U.P. Yoddha produced a complete performance to beat defending champions Bengal Warriors 40-36 in Match 69 of PKL Season 8. Their defensive corner duo of Sumit and Nitesh Kumar scored 7 points while raiders Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill picked up 9 points each.

The win helped Yoddha jump to fourth on the points table. Bengal were once again overly reliant on captain Maninder Singh who picked up 19 raid points despite the loss.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8bcta_JTmM

The first half of the PKL match was an intense affair with both teams matching blow for blow in the early minutes. But U.P. Yoddha’s defensive pair of Sumit and Nitesh Kumar was in incredible form as they thwarted the Bengal raiders. At the other end, Pardeep Narwal quickly stole points from the Warriors defence to put his team in the lead. But the defending champions showed great resistance to the U.P. dominance by delaying the ALL OUT.

Maninder Singh managed a mini-revival with a 3-point Super Raid, but Yoddha kept piling the pressure to eventually clinch that ALL OUT with 4 minutes to the interval. Their lead was immediately cut short by Maninder’s 2-point raid as the half ended 19-18 in Yoddha’s favour. 

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Yoddha’s defence dominated the early minutes of the second half. Sumit consistently caught the ankle of Bengal’s Maninder Singh as his partner Nitesh Kumar rushed in from the right corner. Together they were unstoppable and ensured Bengal remained on the backfoot. The trio of raiders – Shrikant Jadhav, Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill – ensured points kept adding to Yoddha’s tally. They got their second ALL OUT with 8 minutes remaining to open a 7-point lead. 

Bengal’s Maninder Singh got his Super 10 to ensure they stayed in the hunt despite the two ALL OUTs. He made it a 4-point game with 3 minutes remaining but substitute Gaurav Kumar’s stunning Super Tackle on him gave Yoddha some breathing space. Their defenders kept calm in the final minute to clinch the win and leapfrog Bengal on the points table. 

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