Haryana Steelers Vs Patna Pirates 16 February 2024

Full-Time
Haryana Steelers 39 - 32 Patna Pirates

A good example of a win-win situation here as the Haryana Steelers confirm their qualification with a 7-point win, but the scoreline doesn't reflect the reality as the Pirates' B team really had them worried well into the 2nd half, with the youngsters putting in a stellar effort against this quality, full-strength opposition.

It was truly a day for the defenses as a whopping 41 tackle points were recorded across both teams, with High 5s for Mohit Khaler, Jaideep Dahiya, and the brilliant Rahul Sethpal, who finished with 8 tackle points on the night.

But even more impressive were Thiyagaran Yuvaraj and Sanjay for the Patna Pirates as they scored High 5s, making the highly accomplished Vinay, Shivam Patare, and at times, Siddharth Desai, really struggle to break them down.

On such a tough night for the raiders, one man stood tall, and it was none other than Siddharth Desai. It was his timely multi-point raids and Super 10 that proved to be the turning points in this match as the Steelers eventually took control of the match in the last 6-7 minutes.

While coach Manpreet Singh will be concerned about the raiding performance, Haryana has three more games to set that right, and they'll target a 3rd-place finish now. Patna, meanwhile, couldn't have asked for a better evening to conclude their group-stage, and they'll likely finish in 6th place, and will be awaiting their opponent in the playoffs.

That's only the first of two blockbuster outings we have lined up for you today. Up next, Arjun Deshwal and Pawan Sehrawat go head-to-head as the Jaipur Pink Panthers take on the Telugu Titans. Click here to switch to the live coverage of that game as I, Shreyas, bid you adieu. Good Night!

2nd Half, 40'
Haryana Steelers 39 - 32 Patna Pirates

Woah, Thiyagarajan Yuvarajan means business here, going in with a monstrous block to stop Siddharth Desai in a do-or-die raid. Jaideep Dahiya then comes in with a solid chain tackle along with Mohit to get to his High 5, with Rahul Sethpal following that up with his 8th tackle point of the night putting in yet another well-timed ankle hold.

Abhinand Subhash runs in to put in the last raid of the match, but he appeared to be overzealous, running into Mohit Khaler's challenge in the left corner, and he gets his 6th tackle point of the night as the whistle blows to bring this game to a close.

The Haryana Steelers officially become the final team to qualify for the playoffs with a 7-point win, but the Pirates will be mighty proud of their effort.

2nd Half, 38'
Haryana Steelers 36 - 31 Patna Pirates

The Steelers asserting their dominance and it's about time they did. Siddharth Desai gets Krishan Dhull in the right corner to get his 12th raid point of the night. He's gotten a Super 10 in a difficult night for the raiders, and that's a good sign for them.

Both Mohit Nandal and Jaideep Dahiya pick up a point each to add to their respective tallies as Sanjay gets his High 5 with another solid block on Vinay, who has had a poor, poor evening.

2nd Half, 36'
Haryana Steelers 33 - 30 Patna Pirates

Ohh, that's a swift all-out for the Steelers. Patna have 3 on the mat, and Anuj Kumar is done in by a beastly tackle from Rahul Sethpal, whose tentative grab at the raiders' ankle proving to be too good for the raider. Siddharth Desai follows up with an easy point against 2 defenders, and Mohit makes no mistake against Sanjay to get to his High 5, and get the Steelers their all-out.

2nd Half, 34'
Haryana Steelers 28 - 30 Patna Pirates

Ohh, Where have the Pirates been hiding these players all along? Sanjay in that right cover comes in with yet another mighty block-dash to beat Hasan Balbool all ends up. He's one away from his High 5 now.

However, Zheng tries to get a hand touch on the run against Mohit, but the left corner comes out on top with a neat challenge, and he should thank his partner on the right corner for the timely support. Siddharth Desai then bulldozes past Thiyagarajan's attempted challenge to pull another point back for the Steelers.

2nd Half, 32'
Haryana Steelers 26 - 29 Patna Pirates

A brain-fade of sorts for Siddharth Desai who runs in far too casually into a 3-man Patna defense, and he had far too momentum away from the mid-line to escape from Manish Dhull's Super Tackle.

Rahul Sethpal seems to be furious with that raid, and he clatters into Abhinand Subhash with a well-timed challenge in a do-or-die raid.

However, the Pirates pick up yet another Super Tackle, and once again, who else but Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj, who puts in another well-timed ankle hold. 

2nd Half, 30'
Haryana Steelers 25 - 25 Patna Pirates

Jee, the Pirates are playing brilliantly here, and Shivam Patare's nightmarish outing continues as Sanjay cuts his raid short with a solid challenge. Zheng Wei-Chen bears the brunt of Rahul Sethpal's frustration as the right corner makes no mistake with his ankle hold to get to his High 5.

Anuj Kumar then has to visit the bench as the left chain of Mohit and Vinay put in a solid chain tackle to go ahead. However, with the Pirates having only three men on the mat, their stand-in captain Krishan Dhull comes in clutch as the substitute raider Hasan Balbool succumbs to his well-timed diving double knee hold, with the Pirates effecting a Super Tackle.

Ohh wait, the referees award a point to the Steelers and two to the Pirates, with Sanjay declared to be self-out.

The Pirates review the decision but it ends up unsuccessful.

The whistle blows for the timeout, and the Patna Pirates will be delighted with how they've played here. 

As for the Steelers, their confidence could take a real blow if they lose this contest, and they'll need more raids similar to the one Siddharth Desai just put in to win this one because the Pirates aren't giving away any freebies.

2nd Half, 27'
Haryana Steelers 22 - 22 Patna Pirates

Ohh Haryana Steelers, what have you done? Rohit is having a brilliant game, and he absolutely bamboozles the Haryana defense to get the first all-out of the match, and not many would've expected it to go the way of the Pirates.

He takes plenty of time on his raid, and anticipates the challenge from Rahul Sethpal, rides that challenge, jumps over Siddharth Desai's challenge, and resists the ankle hold from Vinay to make his way to the mid-line.

Siddharth Desai receives a green card for jersey pulling in that challenge, and he appears to be pumped up after the all-out, and he purposefully strides in and comes away with a Super Raid. Goes in deep into the left side of the defense, gets a bonus, the left cover, and the left corner to put Haryana back in the lead.

Anuj Kumar then levels the scores with a neat bonus point.

2nd Half, 25'
Haryana Steelers 17 - 16 Patna Pirates

Has Siddharth Desai opened this game up with that raid? The tall raider unleashes the kick on Krishan Dhull in the right corner, before outpowering the left cover to make his way to the mid-line.

However, Patna pulls one back as the substitute Zheng Wei-Chen forces an error from Jaideep Dahiya of all people. Oh, and wait, Patna are hitting back here as Shivam Patare is done all ends up by another mighty challenge from Rohit, he's just one away from a High 5 is the all-rounder.

Zheng Wei-Chen claims a touch on Siddharth Desai in a 1v3 situation and it's given, but Siddharth is adamant there was no touch and reviews the decision. It ends up being a great review as there doesn't appear to be a touch.

2nd Half, 22'
Haryana Steelers 15 - 14 Patna Pirates

Well, Prapanjan goes back to the bench almost immediately as he puts in a very tentative raid which the left cover Rohit capitalizes on immediately with a crunching block.

However, when Rahul Sethpal, the Super Tackle expert is there, the Steelers always were in with a chance, and Anuj Kumar couldn't do much against his well-timed knee hold. Exciting start to this half!

Prapanjan comes on as a substitute for the Steelers as they only have three on the mat, with none of them raiders.

Half-Time
Haryana Steelers 13 - 13 Patna Pirates

Even the Patna Pirates' coaching staff wouldn't have expected such a professional outing from their second-string side, but the youngsters have looked like they mean business, going toe-to-toe with the Steelers and heading into half-time with the scores level.

Both teams' raiders have found it hard to break down each others' disciplined defenses, especially with both of them only having 4 or 5 defenders for the bulk of the half. Rohit's Super Raid brought the Pirates back into the game after the Steelers took the early lead, and since then, they haven't let go, with Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj in the left corner having a brilliant game.

For the Steelers, their defense is firing on all fronts, but Vinay's weak performance so far is a cause for concern. While they're still the favorites to win this one, they'll want to to put in a significantly improved performance in the 2nd half. We actually have a really good contest here. Don't go anywhere as the 2nd half is coming right up!

1st Half, 20'
Haryana Steelers 13 - 13 Patna Pirates

Ohh, a very rare error from Mohit Nandal concedes a cheap point in a do-or-die raid to Rohit. That was a 1v4 situation, and there wasn't anyway he was getting a point before the cover defender gets his attempted knee hold all wrong, allowing the Pirates to level.

The whistle blows for half-time, and well, the Pirates are announcing that they a really strong bench at the expense of the Haryana Steelers.

1st Half, 19'
Haryana Steelers 13 - 12 Patna Pirates

Well, this is turning out to be a battle of the defenses, and Mohit Khaler gets another easy tackle point as Anuj Kumar, once again, doesn't angle his run enough, running into the left corner.

However, Haryana have a do-or-die raid soon, and Vinay looked uncertain going in, and he's sent back to the bench as Krishan Dhull goes in with a diving double ankle hold.

1st Half, 17'
Haryana Steelers 12 - 11 Patna Pirates

Their defense, however, is on point, and Rohit pretty much telegraphs what his plan is to Mohit Khaler in the left corner, almost handing his foot to the defender, who happily accepts the gift.

At the other end, Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj puts in a sensational, sensational tackle! The left corner misses with his attempted block, but he gets a hold of Shivam Patare's ankle and he has some grip does the young defender! So close to the mid-line, he pretty much pulls off a solo tackle against a quality raider. 

That's something you probably won't have the freedom to do every game, and Patna appear to have made the right choice here in giving the youngsters leeway.

1st Half, 15'
Haryana Steelers 11 - 10 Patna Pirates

2nd tackle point of the night for Thiyagarajan, and he times his diving ankle hold on Siddharth Desai to perfection. The Pirates have had the measure of the Haryana raiding unit today, and this performance won't please Manpreet Singh.

1st Half, 13'
Haryana Steelers 11 - 9 Patna Pirates

Vinay puts in only his second raid of the match, scoring a bonus point under the nose of the left corner. Patna then have a do-or-die raid, and Anuj Kumar pretty much ran into Jaideep Dahiya, who wasn't going to miss out on a straightforward challenge.

The Pirates then send Vinay back to the bench, however, as Sanjay in the right cover comes in with a mighty block.

Jaideep then gets his 3rd tackle point of the night by capitalizing on Daniel Odhiambo's error as the Kenyan raider goes in too deep on the left side.

1st Half, 10'
Haryana Steelers 8 - 8 Patna Pirates

Rahul Sethpal seems to be doing it all on his own here for the Steelers, and it's another strong block-dash, this time on Rohit. At the other end, Shivam Patare is at the receiving end of a ferocious dash from Sanjay. He didn't see that coming did Shivam.

The whistle blows for the timeout, and the Pirates have acquitted themselves really well here. 

Haryana will want to take a decent lead by half-time, but they need to be more consistent in order to do that and avoid the defensive errors coming in from the left side.

1st Half, 8'
Haryana Steelers 7 - 7 Patna Pirates

Anuj Kumar has been superb so far, but Rahul Sethpal's well-timed dash is too good for him in a 1v4 situation. However, the Patna left corner Thiyagarajan goes in with a bold block that he converts into an ankle hold to keep down the 'Bahubali' in a do-or-die raid.

1st Half, 6'
Haryana Steelers 6 - 6 Patna Pirates

Woah! What a passage of play that is for the Pirates. First, Shivam Patare is done in all ends up by a Super Tackle initiated by utility player Rohit. Anuj Kumar then puts in an incredible Super Raid with a well-executed dubki to send the Haryana left corner and both covers back to the bench.

Siddharth Desai then pulls one back with a running hand touch on the left cover. Maybe the Pirates won't make this too easy for the Steelers.

1st Half, 4'
Haryana Steelers 5 - 1 Patna Pirates

Siddharth Desai makes it look really easy by simply using his long stride to get a running toe touch on Manish to open his account.

However, at the other end, Anuj Kumar is slippery as an eel to squirm through Mohit's attempted challenge to get the Pirates up and going. Shivam Patare then follows it up with another running hand touch on the Pirates' left corner, even though it's initially ruled in the Pirates' favor.

At the other end, Daniel Odhiambo weak's raid comes to a premature end, with Rahul Sethpal's ankle hold well complemented by the covers' support.

1st Half, 2'
Haryana Steelers 2 - 0 Patna Pirates

Vinay starts things off for the Steelers and it's an empty raid from their best raider. However, their two captains get them going with an inch-perfect cover chain tackle to take Rohit down. 

Shivam Patare then does well to escape from Thiyagarajan's challenge to open his account.

This match-up has provided us with some of the most iconic moments and matches in PKL history. Click the link below to find out more about the history behind this clash:

Here's what it means to the Haryana Steelers to be playing in front of their home support after 4 years:

Check out three player battles you should keep a close eye on when it comes to this contest:

Team News

Haryana Steelers: Jaideep Dahiya (C), Mohit Nandal, Vinay, Siddharth Desai, Shivam Patare, Rahul Sethpal, and Mohit Khaler.

Patna Pirates: Krishan Dhull (C), Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj, Rohit, Daniel Odhiambo, Anuj Kumar, Sanjay, and Manish Dhull.

Well, the Patna Pirates appear to be fine with finishing 6th place because they've gone all-out to rest most of their starting lineup, with Krishan Dhull the only first-team player in the starting 7, and he also takes the armband. Sudhakar M, Sandeep Kumar, and Mayur Kadam are handy options off the bench.

The Steelers, meanwhile, remain unchanged.

Preview

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of the tenth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. We're down to the last leg of PKL 10's group stage, and the hosts Haryana Steelers take on the Patna Pirates in the first game of this leg at the Tau Devilal Indoor Stadium in Panchkula.

The Pirates confirmed their qualification for the playoffs on Tuesday with a tense 38-36 win over the Telugu Titans, and this will be their final match of the league stage. A win will give them a good chance of finishing 5th, or maybe even 4th, but a defeat could condemn them to a 6th-place finish. The Pirates are on an 8-game unbeaten run, and they'll want to head into the playoffs on the same note.

The Haryana Steelers, meanwhile, need only one point to guarantee their presence in the playoffs. With four games left to play, they could finish as high as 3rd on the points table, and coach Manpreet Singh will want his side to get that Q next to their name after this very match. They're also in a very healthy run of form, winning 5 out of their last 7 matches, and will back themselves here.

The reverse fixture between the two sides was a bit one-sided, but given their respective recent performances, we can expect a thrilling, high-octane clash to begin this leg with.