PKL Season 10: What happened during the Puneri Paltan vs Haryana Steelers final at Pro Kabaddi Season 10?
Puneri Paltan secured their first-ever Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title with a thrilling 28-25 victory over Haryana Steelers in the final of Season 10. The Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad hosted the summit clash.
With the win, they continued the trend of league leaders going on to win the trophy, marking a significant moment for the Pune-based franchise after falling short in the Season 9 final.
Both teams displayed their tactical prowess in a match expected to be a defensive showdown. However, Puneri Paltan raider Pankaj Mohite stood out, delivering a crucial nine-point performance, particularly when the game hung in balance.
The first half was tightly contested, with Paltan maintaining a narrow three-point lead, ending halftime 13-10. An important moment came when Pankaj executed a game-changing raid that earned the team four points and gave them momentum. This moment put Haryana on the back foot.
Despite Haryana's best efforts to stay in the game, they struggled to mount a comeback that would be good enough to give them the advantage. The second half continued to be a defensive battle.
Gaurav Khatri led Puneri Paltan's defense. Even though the likes of Shivam Patare, Vishal Tate, Siddharth Desai, and Vinay tried to put up a fight, Haryana's defense was sloppy in the second half, which did not allow them to dominate.
Heading into the last five minutes, Paltan had gained a massive advantage with a seven-point lead as Aslam Inamdar and Pankaj ensured that they continued to chip away, not allowing Haryana to make a comeback.
Haryana played their last trump card by bringing Siddharth Desai in with about 90 seconds remaining in the contest. However, it may have been too late as they seemed to have missed a trick.
Siddharth got them a point immediately and followed it up with an excellent super raid. Despite a valiant effort from Haryana’s Siddharth Desai, who managed a super raid in the final moments, Puneri Paltan had taken a lead that was impossible to overtake with hardly any time remaining in the game.
Mohit Goyat then ran the clock down in the final raid as the Pune-based franchise emerged victorious and claimed their maiden PKL title. Haryana’s last-ditch attempts to claw their way back, including Desai's super raid, brought them closer, but Puneri’s game management and ability to maintain composure under pressure sealed their historic win.
Puneri Paltan on the right path to defending PKL title
Puneri Paltan have begun their title defense in PKL 11 on the right note. In their opening game against Haryana this season, they put up another brilliant display to register a 35-25 victory.
In their next game, they bettered their performance with a thumping 40-25 win over the Patna Pirates. While they suffered a 35-30 defeat against Tamil Thalaivas in their previous game, they have started positively with two wins from three outings.