PKL 8: Tamil Thalaivas outclass Haryana Steelers 45-26

Haryana coach Rakesh Kumar will have to lot to ponder with the entire team failing to turn up against a fully-charged Thalaivas. 

The first half was a high-scoring affair with Tamil Thalaivas dominating the early exchanges. Captain Surjeet Singh and Sagar were in no mood to let the Haryana raiders settle as they dished out tackle after tackle to earn their team an all-out in the fifth minute. The defence set the tempo for the Thalaivas while Manjeet, back again in the line-up after missing Thalaivas' previous encounter, and K. Prapanjan picked up the raid points. 

The team from Chennai got its second all-out with eight minutes left to interval and opened a 14-point lead. 

However, Vikash Kandola quickly turned the momentum around for the Steelers. He found errors in an over-enthusiastic Tamil defence and helped Haryana claw their way back into the contest. They got their first all-out with two minutes remaining for half-time to reduce Thalaivas' lead to 5 points. Tamil's Sagar got his High 5 before the teams switched sides with the scores at 24-18. 

The second half was a repeat of the first with Thalaivas continuing their good form. Sagar made the right corner a no-entry zone for Haryana raiders, while their raiders continued to impress. 

The team got their third all-out in the 3rd minute after the restart as Haryana looked answerless. It only got worse for the Steelers who conceded another all-out with five minutes remaining as Surjeet Singh claimed his High 5 and Manjeet got his Super 10. The 18-point lead going into the last 5 minutes proved too much for the Haryana raiders as Tamil Thalaivas clinched the win.