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Day 59 of the Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5 witnessed the mastery of the Haryana Steelers and the UP Yoddha as they emerged the winners at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. The Steelers made their title ambitions even clearer as they outclassed U Mumba 41-30, claiming their first win over the former champions.
In the second match of the day, the hosts Tamil Thalaivas succumbed to a 33-37 defeat to UP Yoddha that left them searching for their elusive first win at home.
Here are the major talking points from tonight's games:
#1 Mohit Chhillar delivers when it matters the most
An inspired Mohit Chhillar made up for his earlier inconsistencies by delivering the Haryana Steelers crucial points in defence. It was the Haryana captain Surender Nada, who bagged a High-5 on the night but Chhillar’s 4 points out of 4 tackles contributed in making his team’s defence impregnable.
His two ankle holds on Shrikant Jadhav came at the right time and blunted the U Mumba attack. Not only that, the right corner defender played a crucial role in assisting his skipper, paving the way for a spectacular tackle on the Mumbai captain Anup Kumar which was the final nail in the coffin for the former champions.
Mohit quite deservedly was bestowed with the ‘Most Dependable Player of the Match’ award.
#2 Surinder Singh the weakest link in U Mumba
U Mumba skipper Anup Kumar’s Super 10 was for a lost cause as his team’s defence looked deplorable. Surinder Singh’s unsuccessful attempts left a gaping hole in the defence which Haryana exploited time and again.
His rash decisions to pounce at an inopportune moment instead of holding back cost the team badly. His ineffectiveness is validated by the fact that he could bring his team just a solitary point out of nine attempts. It was surprising to see that the Mumbai franchise continued to bank on him when he should have been substituted.
#3 Vikas Kandola’s injury mars Haryana’s victory
At just 19 years of age, Vikas Kandola has proved to be one of the most dependable raiders for the Haryana Steelers. The maturity that he has already shown in this league until injury curbed him has been very impressive.
Kandola looked fearless and kept on wreaking havoc on the Mumbai defenders, bringing his team points swiftly with his spectacular running hand touches. Just when he looked good for a Super 10, his outing ended prematurely with just 8 points as injury cut short his time on the mat.
As he was coming back from the U Mumba box, he was caught on the ankle by Hadi Oshtorak. The anguish on his face clearly told that something was just not right. The Haryana Steelers would desperately need to get him fit if they want to win their maiden title.
#4 Prapanjan comes to the party, albeit for a lost cause
Tamil Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur scoring a Super 10 is not a surprise anymore. If there’s one man who has been consistent for the southern franchise then it’s been him.
But it was the second raider K Prapanjan, who finally atoned for his lacklustre form of late and came to the party even though the duo ultimately could not save their side. Not getting deep into the enemy territory, he kept the scoreboard ticking for his team. In the second half too when the team from Lucknow looked to be extending their lead, he contributed with a dazzling super raid and never panicked.
Prapanjan’s efforts were rewarded with a Super 10 as he finished with a rich haul of 11 points.
#5 UP Yoddha finally did not squander their huge lead
UP Yoddha showed that they had learned from their past mistakes. The Nitin Tomar-led team had squandered their huge lead both times the northern franchise met the Tamil Thalaivas, resulting in a draw and a loss.
This time they did not repeat the same mistake. The team’s raiders stole the show after a slow start and were ably supported in defence, keeping the home team at bay. Tomar oozed brilliance, scoring 12 points that shot him up to third in the total points leaderboard, right behind the irrepressible Pardeep Narwal and Rahul Chaudhari.
With his agility, Rishank Devadiga kept up the vicious attack for his side and fell just short of a Super 10 at 9.
Jeeva Kumar, Sagar Krishna, Hadi Tajik and even Mahesh Goud contributed to keeping the defence resolute that fetched the win for the Yoddhas.
