Tamil crush Haryana, Delhi face first defeat of PKL Season 8

The Thalaivas displayed a power packed performance in the match.

Tamil Thalaivas produced an all-around performance to comprehensively beat Haryana Steelers 45-26 in the 45th match of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 8 at Bengaluru. Manjeet clinched a Super 10 for the Thalaivas who also saw their prized defensive duo of Surjeet Singh (8 tackle points) and Sagar (7 tackle points) getting High 5s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqNIKPLCc3E

Haryana coach Rakesh Kumar will have to lot to ponder with the entire team failing to turn against a fully-charged Thalaivas.  

The first half of this PKL match was a high-scoring affair with Tamil Thalaivas dominating the early minutes. Captain Surjeet Singh and Sagar were in no mood to let the Haryana raiders settle as they dished out tackle after tackle to get their team an ALL OUT in the 5th minute. The defense set the tempo for the Thalaivas while Manjeet, back again in the line-up after missing Thalaivas’ previous encounter, and K. Prapanjan picked up the raid points.  

The team from Chennai got their second ALL OUT with 8 minutes left to interval and opened a 14-point lead. But kabaddi is a game of momentum and Vikash Kandola quickly turned it around for the Steelers. He found errors in an over-enthusiastic Tamil defense and helped Haryana claw their way back into the contest. They got their first ALL OUT with 2 minutes remaining for half-time to reduce Thalaivas’ lead to 5 points. Tamil's Sagar got his High 5 before the teams switched sides with the scores at 24-18. 

The second half was a repeat of the first with Thalaivas continuing their good form. Sagar made the right corner a no-entry zone for Haryana raiders, while their raiders continued to impress. The team got their third ALL OUT in the 3rd minute after the restart as Haryana looked answerless.

It only got worse for the Steelers who conceded another ALL OUT with 5 minutes remaining as Surjeet Singh claimed his High 5 and Manjeet got his Super 10. The 18-point lead going into the last 5 minutes proved too much for the Haryana raiders as Tamil Thalaivas clinched the win. 

Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Dabang Delhi

Jaipur Pink Panthers outclassed Dabang Delhi K.C. 30-28 in a closely contested Match 46 of PKL Season 8. Naveen Kumar and Arjun Deshwal, who were both on Super 10 streaks for their respective teams, failed to cross the milestone in the tactical warfare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peAp3zcenUE

But coach Sanjeev Baliyan and his Jaipur team had the last laugh with Sahul Kumar picking up a High 5 (8 tackle points) and Deepak Hooda getting 9 raid points. Delhi’s unbeaten run in Season 8 came to an end as the lack of a secondary raider to assist the prolific Naveen Kumar proved too costly.

The first half of this PKL match was a cagey affair with both Naveen Kumar and Arjun Deshwal failing to produce any moment of raiding magic. Delhi started the better side with their experienced defensive line-up charged up for the match. By the 10th minute, they had managed to reduce Jaipur to just 3 men on the mat. But Sahul Kumar produced a Super Tackle to swing the match in the Panthers’ favour. Both sides matched each other in an intense end to the half that saw Naveen survive two injury scares. The scores were 12-12 at the interval with both sides failing to inflict an ALL OUT.

Delhi started the second half brightly and got an ALL OUT in the 5th minute. Their 5-point lead did not last long however, with Jaipur’s defence finding form. Sahul Kumar raced to his High 5 as Jaipur ensured the scores were level at the Time Out in the 10th minute. Deepak Hooda was in good form for the Panthers as they pushed for an ALL OUT on Delhi and take the lead. But Delhi held firm with Ashu Malik managing a Super Tackle.

Delhi had a 4-point going into the last 5 minutes, but Jaipur’s Deepak Hooda finally got a 2-point raid that ultimately paved the way for an ALL OUT. The momentum helped the Panthers take the lead in the final minutes and win the match, ending Delhi’s unbeaten streak.

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