Pro Kabaddi: Haryana Steelers and Telugu Titans share spoils after 39-39 tie

Telugu Titans made a stunning comeback to hold Haryana Steelers to a 39-39 tie in a Pro Kabaddi League 8 match in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Published : Jan 25, 2022 21:19 IST

Haryana Steelers captain and raider Vikash Kandola attempts a raid during the 39-39 tie against Telugu Titans in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Telugu Titans made a stunning comeback to hold Haryana Steelers to a 39-39 tie in a Pro Kabaddi League 8 match in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Haryana raced to an early lead in the first half thanks to its raider Vikash Kandola, who scored a Super 10. But it was his mistake in the final raid of the match – failing to secure a legal raid with the team having a one-point advantage – that led to the match being tied. The Titans never gave up despite trailing in most parts of the match and will have to thank their left corner defender Sandeep Kandola for the result. He scored a High Five (6 tackle points) while raider Ankit Beniwal secured a Super 10.

Haryana Steelers started the match on the front foot with its raiding trio of Vikash Kandola, Rohit Gulia and Vinay taking turns to win raid points. Telugu Titans struggled to match the intensity with their star raider Rajnish missing out. Ankit Beniwal and Adarsh T could not invite errors from the Haryana defence marshalled by the experienced Surender Nada in the left corner. Vikash Kandola scored a three-point Super Raid in the 10th minute that helped the Steelers clinch an All Out.

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The Steelers opened an eight-point lead, but the Titans staged an immediate fightback.

Adarsh’s strong raids on the right-hand side yielded points for Telugu while defender Sandeep Kandola thwarted the Haryana raiders from his left corner position. Together, they helped the Titans inflict an All Out in the last minute of the first half and narrow the points gap to just one.

The Titans sustained the pressure on the Steelers defence in the early minutes of the second half. Captain Rohit Kumar picked up a three-point Super Raid in the 5th minute after the restart. Ankit Beniwal’s two-point raid in the 9th minute was followed by Adarsh’s touch-point which ensured the Titans secured another All Out. The team took a two-point lead as Sandeep Kandola got his High Five.

Haryana had a one-point advantage as the match entered the final 5 minutes. And it extended it, courtesy of a two-point raid by Vikash Kandola which saw him secure a Super 10. The Steelers inflicted another All Out to open a five-point lead with 3 minutes remaining. The Titans clawed their way back as the Steelers faltered in their time management. Vikash Kandola failed to register a legal raid in the last move of the match and the match ended in a tie.