Haryana Steelers outmuscled U Mumba in a thrilling encounter to clinch their first win of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Ajit Chouhan's Super 10 and Naveen Kumar's game-changing Super Raid headlined a clash that swung wildly before ShivamPatare's stunning strike in the tie-breaker sealed it for the Steelers.
U Mumba got off to a flying start against the defending champions, with Chouhan opening the account through a successful raid. A couple of strong tackles followed, and U Mumba quickly raced to a 5-0 lead.
The pressure mounted on the Steelers, and within just over six minutes, they were handed an 'All Out' leaving them trailing 2-12. This was the fastest All-Out by any team in the ongoing edition.
The tie-breaker was a rollercoaster, with both teams trading blows in quick succession. U Mumba struck first through Sunil Kumar and Sandeep while Chouhan added to his tally with yet another raid.
The Steelers, however, responded in style. Jaya Soorya and Vinay chipped in with crucial points before Patare produced the moment of the contest; a stunning Super Raid that wiped out Rohit Raghav, Sandeep and Rinku in one go.
That decisive strike swung the momentum firmly in Haryana's favour, and despite Mumba's attempts to claw back, the Steelers held their nerve to edge ahead in the final exchanges and clinch a thrilling tie-breaker victory.
Puneri Paltan thrash Bengal Warriorz
Earlier, Puneri Paltan continued their dominance with a 45-36 win over Bengal Warriorz.
Led by the brilliance of skipper Aslam Inamdar, alongside Aditya Shinde and Vishal Bhardwaj, who got a High Five, the Paltan cancelled Devank Dalal's 17 points on the night.
Puneri Paltan got off to a confident start against Bengal Warriorz, racing ahead with some sharp raiding from Shinde and Inamdar.
Shinde was quick to make his presence felt, striking repeatedly with successful raids that kept the Warriorzdefence under pressure.
The highlight of the first 10 minutes came through Inamdar, who produced a Super Raid that got Warriorz defenders Nitesh Kumar and Parteek in one swift move. The raid tilted the momentum in Paltan's favour.
The momentum wildly swung as both sides traded blows, highlighted by two crucial All Outs in the second phase.
But the third quarter of the contest saw Puneri Paltan stamp their authority on the game, stretching their lead.
Despite Devank's relentless fightback, the Warriorz trailed 37-28 in the final 10 minutes, leaving them with a steep climb heading into the final stretch.
But a masterclass in defence from the Puneri Paltan kept them in the lead to the very end. The match ended with the score reading 45-36, as the Paltan secured an impressive win.