The Haryana Steelers put up a strong show to defeat UP Yoddhas 53-26, earning the largest victory margin of PKL 12 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. They also moved up to fifth place on the points chart with the 27-point victory.
Shivam Patare left his imprint with a Super 10, while Jaideep Dahiya took the lead with a High Five. With eight raid points and four tackle points, substitute Ghanshyam Magar also made an impression.
With a wild start, the reigning champions got off to a fast start. Sahil Narwal set the tone in defence with a tackle, while Vinay started things off with his 100th raid point of the season. Early goals for the Yoddhas came from Gagan Gowda and Guman Singh, although the first 10 minutes were dominated by the Haryana Steelers’ intensity and play.
Sahil Narwal made sure that the Yoddhas’ defense didn’t let their guard down, while Shivam Patare also proved to be a threat. With a spectacular tackle that resulted in the game’s first ALL OUT, Rahul Sethpal made that early pressure count and put his team ahead 12–5.
Shivam Patare finished his Super 10 with 11 points in 10 raids as the Haryana Steelers continued to control the game. With a Do-Or-Die Raid and a Super Tackle afterward, Keshav Kumar demonstrated some resolve for the UP Yoddhas. The Haryana Steelers led 26–12 at the half when his team let up a second ALL OUT, but he didn’t have enough assistance.
With Gagan Gowda settling into his offensive rhythm, UP Yoddhas had a promising start to the second half. With around thirteen minutes remaining in the game, Hitesh and Guman Singh combined to reduce the gap to ten points.
The UP Yoddhas continued to chip away with efforts from Bhavani Rajput and a couple of tackles from Ashu Singh and Hitesh. But Sahil Narwal’s Super Tackle enabled the Steelers maintain their double-digit advantage going into the final quarter, with the score at 32-21.
However, the Steelers quickly eliminated any chance of a resurgence. After eleven minutes, Shivam Patare gave the Haryana Steelers their first raid points of the second half. Jaideep then finished his High Five and recorded the opposition’s third ALL OUT, giving his team a commanding 40–22 advantage.
Ghanshyam Magar added to the Yoddhas’ suffering in the final moments. The game was completed by the reigning champions with a fourth ALL OUT thanks to tackles from Neeraj and Jaideep. Their final quarter tally of 21 points gave them a decisive 53-26 victory.
