Defending champions Haryana Steelers defeated the Patna Pirates 39-32 on Monday in the Pro Kabaddi League in New Delhi, breaking a five-match losing streak.
With the victory, the Steelers moved up to sixth place in the standings.
With six tackles, Jaideep Dahiya led the way with a High Five, and Shivam Patare finished with a Super 10. Ayan Lohchab’s 17 points for the Patna Pirates, meanwhile, were in vain.
With Maninder Singh and Vinay opening the scoring for their respective teams, the game got off to an exciting start. Ayan also made an immediate impression, earning his first points with a multi-point raid before tackling Shivam Patare to finish the game.
Despite a close start, neither team was able to win their first do-or-die raids.
After the first ten minutes, Patna Pirates led 8–6 thanks to a tackle by Balaji D and a raid by Ayan, but Haryana Steelers’ defense held them even with contributions from Hardeep and Rahul Sethpal. However, the reigning champs quickly answered with a spectacular tackle from Rahul Sethpal.
The reigning champions suffered the first all-out of the game after Ayan Lohchab helped his team close the margin to seven points.
But the Steelers proved themselves and responded quickly, with Shivam Patare contributing on the offensive end and Hardeep helping on the defense.
At halftime, the Pirates managed to regain the upper hand in the tumultuous match. Vaibhav Garje made consecutive tackles and Ayan scored nine raid points to give their team a commanding 20–14 lead midway through the match.
