Pro Kabaddi 2019, Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Haryana Steelers: Panthers and Steelers end the encounter on a tie
An extremely heated war between Haryana Steelers and Jaipur Pink Panthers ended on a tie at the Kolkata leg of the Pro Kabaddi 2019 season seven. Both the teams played in impressive fashion in this highly competitive and intense clash.
Deepak Niwas Hooda picked up 14 points with sheer brilliance and became the man of the evening. Sandeep Dhull also played impeccably and pitched in a bunch of points for his squad. From the Steelers' army, Vikash Kandola, Prashanth Kumar Rai and Dharmaraj Cheralathan were commendable against the Men in Pink.
Read to find out how the anticipated 84th encounter of PKL 2019 between Haryana Steelers and Jaipur Pink Panthers unfolded at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata:
Vikash Kandola from Haryana Steelers commenced the night with an empty raid. Hooda picked up a fast bonus for his squad and became the first scorer of the night. Prashanth Kumar Rai, the sturdy raider from the Steelers' army, opened the account for his team with a skillful hand-touch on Santhapanaselvam.
In this slow-paced game, both the Steelers and the Panthers double-checked every move before implementing them. A commendable two-pointer raid by the Panthers skipper Hooda sent Kandola and the experienced Cheralathan off the mat.
Eight minutes into the match, the Panthers defenders grabbed Rai and scored their first tackle point of the encounter. Under just 14 minutes, the Haryana-based franchise suffered its first all-out of the night.
Kandola, with a mind-blowing Super Raid, inflicted an unfortunate all-out on the opponents, hence handing his team the lead for the first time in the face-off. At half-time, the score 18-14 was tilted towards Haryana Steelers. Despite a tough start by the Panthers, the Steelers seized the lead in the last few minutes of the first half.
In the second half, Hooda, in an aggressive raid, collected a couple of points and reduced the score difference to two points. In his very next raid, Hooda was super-tackled by Ravi Kumar, much to the Panthers' disappointment.
The Steelers asked for a review in the 34th minute for a mere bonus, which was declared futile upon inspection. Then Deepak Niwas Hooda, the top-class all-rounder, became the third player to achieve the milestone of 800 raid points.
The Panthers demanded a review in the 35th minute, again for a simple bonus, which was deemed unsuccessful. Simultaneously, Naveen sent Sandeep Dhull off the playing area and also secured a bonus point in his kitty.
Yet another all-out on Haryana Steelers brought the score difference to a single point with them in the lead. With just three minutes remaining in the encounter, Hooda's raid tied both the squads on 29.
Quite a few rookie mistakes by the Steelers' raiders towards the end of the battle gifted their opponents the lead in no time. Sandeep Dhull, the young prodigy from the Panthers, completed his High 5 in style.
With just four seconds left on the clock, an advanced tackle by Sachin Narwal brought the score on a tie. A single mistake cost the pink army the victory as the match ended in a deadlock at 32 each. Keeping the match result aside, both the squads displayed a brilliant game.
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