Pro Kabaddi 2019, Patna Pirates v Haryana Steelers: 5 talking points from the match
The Haryana Steelers brought their Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 campaign back on track with a well-deserved 35-26 win over the Patna Pirates, with raider Vikas Kandola putting in a fine display and grabbing a Super 10 for his team.
For the hosts Patna, their dependency on their star man Pardeep Narwal came to the fore yet again, with the raider scoring more than half (14) of the team's total points on the board and the team looking clearly second best throughout the match except for the last five minutes.
However, it was also a night where a new landmark was created as Pardeep became the first player to collect 900 raid points in the league's history, which highlights why he is loved so dearly by fans and is regarded as the competition's biggest superstar.
#5 Haryana grab initiative after cautious start
The match began with both sides starting off cautiously - much in contrast to the first match of the night. Both teams - Haryana and Patna - looked to play on the do-or-die raids as the first six minutes saw just seven points being scored.
Haryana led 5-2 at the time and they soon upped the ante, changing gears and affecting an all out to leave the home crowd stunned. Dharmaraj Cheralathan got the better of Jang Kun Lee to reduce the hosts to two men and Vikas Kandola completed the all out in the 10th minute.
It was a brilliant effort from the youngster as he was locked down by an ankle hold but did not give up and wriggled his foot out of the challenge, just in time before the support came from the other defender. It was a dream start for the Steelers, who looked in control of the game.