Bengaluru: Haryana Steelers emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter in the final game of Saturday night in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 as they beat Bengal Warriors to earn a 41-33 win at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru. For the Steelers, Manjeet finished with 19 points, while all-rounder Nitin Rawal chipped in with 7 points to help their team secure a thumping win.
It was mighty Maninder Singh who started the proceedings for Bengal Warriors, but Haryana Steelers’ right cover Mohit tackled the experienced raider to give Steelers their opening point. With Haryana Steelers’ Manjeet quickly earning a raid point with a bonus, they managed to take an early lead at 4-1. Trailing early on, Bengal Warriors showcased stunning defensive work with Girish Ernak impressing with his tackles to get the dangerous Meetu out twice in a row.
With 10 minutes gone in the first half, and the scoreline almost at par, one could cut the tension at both dugouts with a butter knife. But the momentum of the game appeared to change when Manjeet got Shubham Shinde out with the stretch of his right hand, and the Steelers, within a matter of a couple of points, extended their lead by four points. But once again Girish Ernak lit up the mat with his superb defensive work and brought Bengal Warriors back into the contest by bossing around the Haryana Steelers raiders. Bengal Warriors took a 13-12 lead at half-time with Girish earning 6 points in a thrilling first half.
The second half started with Nitin Rawal giving Haryana Steelers a good start with a Super Raid and a bonus point. Nitin Rawal continued his superb work in defence as well, putting on a herculean effort to execute a Super Tackle to further increase their lead to 18-14. However, the tables turned once again as Bengal Warriors inflicted an All-Out on Haryana Steelers to close the gap to 19-20. As both teams continued to maintain the scoreline at par, the unpredictability of the encounter kept rising.
The game-changing moment came near the halfway mark in the second half when Manjeet managed to grab two raid points. The momentum of the match then shifted completely in Haryana Steelers’ favour when they inflicted an All-Out to further extend their lead to 31-24 as Manjeet bagged a Super 10.
With just a few minutes left on the clock, Haryana Steelers had a massive lead of 37-24. The Warriors continued to fight till the final whistle, but were unable to change the outcome of the contest as the Steelers earned a comprehensive victory.
Top Performers
Bengal Warriors
Best Raider – Manoj Gowda (8 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Girish Maruti Ernak (6 Tackle Points)
Haryana Steelers
Best Raider – Manjeet (18 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Mohit (3 Tackle Points)
