Defending champions Haryana Steelers demonstrated their tenacity with an incredible comeback victory over UP Yoddhas at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag. They won a thrilling 37-32 game on Friday after trailing by as many as eleven points at one stage.
While Naveen Kumar and Mayank Saini made significant contributions for the Haryana Steelers, Rahul Ahri and Rahul Sethpal led the way with high fives. Gagan Gowda registered a Super 10 for UP Yoddhas, but it was in vain.
Gagan Gowda had an exciting start, launching a two-point raid to set the tone for UP Yoddhas. With a tackle on Shivam Patare, Hitesh maintained pressure on the reigning champs, letting the Yoddhas set the pace early on.
Sumit quickly entered the fray with a tackle on Vinay after Bhavani Rajput began the scoring with a successful Do-or-Die Raid. With the score at 10-4, UP Yoddhas increased their lead to six points in just nine minutes, registering the first ALL OUT over the Haryana Steelers.
Rahul Ahri’s tackle would have given the Haryana Steelers optimism that the team would strike back, but Gagan Gowda’s Super Raid swiftly closed the door.
UP Yoddhas quickly increased their lead to eleven points by applying more pressure. Eventually, the Haryana Steelers gained some momentum thanks to a Super Tackle from Jaideep Dahiya. Arriving as well, Naveen Kumar reduced the deficit to five points, leaving the score at 12–17 at the break.
With Naveen Kumar, the reigning champions came roaring back in the second half. Rahul Sethpal gave the UP Yoddhas an ALL OUT after a tackle on Gagan Gowda, allowing the Haryana Steelers to eventually tie the game at 19-19.
The two teams exchanged blows without allowing the opposing team an inch as they had everything to lose. With UP Yoddhas maintaining a 24-23 lead going into the final quarter, there was just one point separating the two teams.
UP Yoddhas maintained their lead in the match till the PKL 11 champions rallied once again when Gagan Gowda recorded his Super 10. Rahul Ahri gave the Haryana Steelers a three-point lead with a High Five, while Naveen Kumar was on fire offensively.
With less than two minutes remaining, Rahul Sethpal quickly followed suit, finishing his High Five and increasing the Haryana Steelers’ lead to five points. In the raiding unit, Mayank Saini also made an impression by helping to orchestrate the reigning champs’ incredible comeback victory.
