PKL Season 6, Match 18: Panthers' back to winning ways, as the Steelers' losses pile up
On the back of Nitin Rawal's terrific all-round display, the Jaipur Pink Panthers got the better of the home side, Haryana Steelers by 36-33.
The Panthers' raiding department scored a total of 22 raid points, led by their top raider of the match, the young all-rounder Nitin Rawal who contributed with 8 points. The decision of the Jaipur Pink Panthers to continue with the services of Nitin has been paying great dividends in this season as he has managed to score 19 points from just 2 matches.
Captain Cool, Anup Kumar and the Panthers' costliest buy at the auction, Deepak Niwas Hooda both contributed to the team's score with 6 raid points each.
The Panthers' defence, though not as prolific as the last game, did manage to score 11 tackle points courtesy Nitin Rawal's 3 points, and 2 points each by the cover Young Chan Ko and the left corner Sandeep Dhull.
The Panthers' were right on the money with their substitutions as Selvamani K contributed with 2 raid and a tackle point, and Amit Kumar scored 2 tackle points.
The Steelers', on the other hand, could manage to reach 33 points just because of the brilliant raiding skills displayed by Naveen who scored a total of 17 points, including 2 tackle points. If not for Naveen's performance, the Steelers' would have lost the match heavily and would have failed to salvage even the single point that they did from the game.
The other two raiders, their captain Monu Goyat and Vikas Kandola failed to decipher the Panthers' defence and managed just 3 points apiece.
The defence, consistent in its lack of performance, failed for the 3rd time in a row managing a disappointing 7 tackle points. The loss of their star defender, Surender Nada, has been a huge jolt to the team, which was among the best defensive units in PKL Season 5.
The Steelers next take on U Mumba tomorrow evening and would look to avenge their previous defeat. The Pink Panthers will play against a strong Puneri Paltan on Friday, the 19th at the Paltans home venue.