Haryana upsets defending champion Jaipur; Puneri in final

HYDERABAD: There is a going to be a new champ on the block in the landmark 10th edition of PKL with Haryana Steelers causing a major upset by upstaging defending champion Jaipur Pink Panthers 31-27 in a riveting second semi-final here on Wednesday.

Earlier, Puneri Paltan stormed into a second successive PKL final with a resounding 37-21 win over three-time champion Patna Pirates in front of a packed gathering. First-time semi-finalist Haryana had not just one but several messiahs to thank as it overcame a stern challenge to subdue the overwhelming pre-match favourite, Jaipur. Raiders Vinay and Shivam Patare who finished with a combined 18 points came up with a stupendous show, while its defence was a constant scourge of Jaipur’s formidable raiding duo of Arjun Deshwal and V Ajith.

Earlier, what should gladden the Puneri faithful is that the victory came on the strength of an all-round dominance with meaty contributions from everyone. Barring the initial six minutes, when both teams were slugging it out intensely for each point, the outcome was never in doubt as the result amply demonstrated that the match was a mere extension of Puneri’s superlative showing in the league phase where it finished top of the standings.

Puneri captain Aslam Inamdar and his counterpart Sachin Tanwar started off the proceedings with a couple of bonus points each to settle the early nerves of their respective teams. The ‘lead’ kept exchanging hands all too frequently until Puneri inflicted the match’s first ALL OUT in the 16th minute to take a healthy six-point lead at 16-10. Aslam made his experience count by winning his side crucial points in Do or Die raids, which besides widening the ‘lead’ also forced the rival team’s defence into committing a raft of errors. Puneri went into the break leading by 20-11.

For the smattering of neutral spectators present at the venue, the match was as good as over at that stage given how Patna’s defence was all over the place in the face of a sustained onslaught from Puneri’s raiding trio of Aslam, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite. Besides, Patna’s raiding spearhead, Sachin, wasn’t his usual self being clearly troubled by an injury that kept him off the mat for much of the second half. Aslam and Pankaj finished with an identical seven points each, while the Puneri’s defence, led by Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, scarcely put a foot wrong, executing its best-laid plans to perfection. The second half pattern was a mirror image of the first with Puneri’s raiders such as Mohit contributing to the team’s tally through some crucial points in defence.

Interestingly, the match’s only Super Raid came in the 35th minute when Manjeet earned a three-pointer on a Do or Die raid for Patna to make it 18-33 but by then even he knew that would have little bearing on the result judging from his forlorn expression.