Courtesy: PKL
On Sunday, December 29, Haryana Steelers became the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) champions for the first-time in their history after defeating former three-time winners Patna Pirates in a one-sided final. At the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, Jaideep Dahiya-led Haryana Steelers got the better of Patna Pirates, captained by Ankit Jaglan, with a scoreline of 32-23, to win the coveted trophy, and afterwards, they celebrated the triumph in style alongside their highly renowned coach Manpreet Singh.
After finishing on top of the table with 84 points in 22 games in the league stage of the PKL 2024 season, winning 16 and losing six matches, Haryana Steelers were looked upon as the favourites to win the tournament. A couple of days ago, in the semi-final clash against UP Yoddhas, it was Haryana Steelers who ended up winning 28-25, to set up a grand finale of the PKL against Patna Pirates, who had to get the better of U Mumba 31-23 in the playoffs before defeating Dabang Delhi 32-28 in the semi-final.
Shivam Patare scored most points in PKL 11 final with his all-round performance
The final clash of the Pro Kabaddi League saw Haryana Steelers defense bringing their A game to the table, collecting 16 tackle points, to inflict an all-important all out once on Patna Pirates, accounting for a further two points. The raid points for Haryana Steelers (13) and Patna Pirates (11) were almost identical, but the defensive skills of the players belonging to the new champions proved to be the ultimate difference.
Shivam Patare was the star performer on the night for Haryana Steelers, scoring four raid points excluding a bonus, and four tackle points, to be top-scorer between both the teams on the big night. Mohammadreza Shadouli Chiyaneh got a whopping five points for the new champions, along with a raid point excluding a bonus, to back up Shivam Patare perfectly against Patna Pirates in the PKL 11 final.
Gurdeep Sangwan was the top-scorer for Patna Pirates in the final of the Pro Kabaddi League, with five tackle points and one bonus point, while Devang Dalal scored four raid points excluding a bonus as well.
