In the second match on Day 3 of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League, PKL 2019, In the second match on Day 3 of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League, Haryana Steelers began their campaign with an emphatic win over Puneri Paltan at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Steelers beat the Puneri Paltan 34-24 and were aided by an excellent performance by Naveen who ended up with 14 points. Puneri Paltan put in a spirited performance but when it came to crucial moments, it was Haryana Steelers that came out on top. There was very little to choose between both teams, but Haryana showed immense mental strength to overcome their rivals. Pawan Kadian got a super 10 for Puneri Paltan but his effort went in vain.
It was a special match today as two of India’s finest players – Anup Kumar and Rakesh Kumar – found each other as opponents. Anup is now the coach of Puneri Paltan while Haryana Steelers are being coached by his long-time teammate Rakesh Kumar.
Puneri Paltan made a strong start as Pawan Kadian made a two-point raid to give them 3-0 lead in the first few minutes of the match. Haryana came back strongly to inch slightly ahead in the first five minutes. It was an evenly-matched contest in the first 10 minutes, but Haryana Steelers shifted gears soon after that.
First it was Naveen who picked up a few raid points to help Haryana Steelers inflict an all-out as they led 11-6 after 12 minutes. Selvamani then produced a terrific super raid to extend Haryana Steelers lead. Puneri Paltan suffered another all out in the 15th minute to trail 8-20. At the end of the first half, Haryana Steelers were the dominant force and held a 12-point advantage to lead 22-10. Puneri Paltan’s Amit Kumar displayed a lot of courage as he continued on the mat despite his head being bandaged.
The second half saw Haryana Steelers playing with great composure. The Steelers paced their raids smartly and didn’t give Puneri Paltan a sniff of making a comeback. Naveen continued to pick up raid points at regular intervals. For Puneri Paltan, it was Pawan Kadian who chipped in with raid points but didn’t get enough support.
With less than five minutes to go, Haryana Steelers led 30-20 and were on course to a comfortable victory. Puneri Paltan made a few efforts to mount a comeback but Haryana Steelers had the mental strength to not crumble under any sort of pressure.
Puneri Paltan will begin their home leg on 14 September whereas Haryana Steelers will play their home leg in Panchkula starting 28 September.
U Mumba vs Jaipur Pink Panthers
Pro Kabaddi 2019, Day 3, Match 1: U Mumba vs Jaipur Pink Panthers highlights In the first match on day 3 of Vivo Pro Kabaddi 2019, Jaipur Pink Panthers produced a strong all-round performance as they defeated U Mumba 42-23 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Jaipur’s raiders were in fine form and picked points at regular intervals whereas their defence showed strength and toughness to contain U Mumba’s raiders. Deepak Hooda finished with a super 10, Deepak Narwal (6 points) and Nitin Rawal (7 points) chipped in with crucial contributions whilst Amit Hooda did a fine job in defence. For U Mumba, it was their defence that let them down as they scored just five tackle points on the night. Jaipur Pink Panthers’ raiders and defenders put on a show that displayed their strength and agility as they were able to overcome the mighty defence of U Mumba.
Deepak Hooda got Jaipur Pink Panthers off to a flying start as he got three points in two raids. U Mumba were caught off guard with Jaipur’s quick start and suffered an all out in the 7th minute to trail 2-10. Jaipur Pink Panthers’ raiders got the better of U Mumba’s defence and scored raid points at will throughout the first half. Fazel “Sultan” Attrachali had an off day by his high standards and scored just two tackle points.
With less than a minute to go in the first half, Jaipur Pink Panthers inflicted another all out to extend their dominance. At the end of the first half, Jaipur led 22-9 and left U Mumba a mountain to climb.
It was a more evenly matched contest in the second half as U Mumba got their act together. In the first 10 minutes of the second half both teams exchanged five points each with Jaipur Pink Panthers leading 27-15. Dong Geon Lee put in a spirited performance for U Mumba and along with Abhishek Singh was the main contributor.
In the last five minutes of the match, it was the Deepak Hooda show as he picked up raid points at regular intervals to record his first super 10 of the season.
 "PKL 2019 Day 3 highlights: Haryana Steelers beat Puneri Paltan 34-24")
