Puneri Paltan Win 10th Season Of PKL: Puneri Paltan defeated Haryana Steelers in the final of the 2023/24 season of the Pro Kabaddi League to list the title for the first time in their history.
The three-month-long tournament finally concluded on Friday, March 1, and two teams vied to lift the trophy for the first time in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.
Puneri Paltan Win 10th Season Of PKL
The Pune-based franchise came into the 10th season of the PKL as the runner-up from the last season. After losing the final to Jaipur Pink Panthers last time round, they were looking to go one step further this time. They dominated the league stage this season, as they lost just two and drew three out of 22 matches and finished on top of the league table with a staggering 96 points.
For finishing in the top two, the Paltan directly made it to the semi-finals, where they demolished Patna Pirates 37-21 to make it to the final for a second year in a row.
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On the other hand, Haryana Steelers finished fifth in the league table and had to go through an Eliminator match to make it to the semi-final, after brutalizing Gujarat Giants 42-25 in Eliminator 2, they shocked defending champion Jaipur Pink Panthers in a close semi-final bout to book their berth into the final.
Both teams stated the final in a cautious manner. So much so that at the 17th-minute mark, none of the teams had even crossed 10 points yet.
With the score 7-9 in favor of Puneri Paltan, in the 18th minute, a costly mistake by the Steelers defense meant that raider Pankat Mohite of Pune got away with a four-point raid, nearly getting the team all-out. But the team from Haryana recovered before the half ended and the score at half-time was 10-13.
However, the Paltan immediately went back at it and gave the Steelers an all-out in the first few minutes of the second half.
With the score being 11-18, it looked like the Haryana Steelers were starting a comeback, but that never truly materialized, as when they took a bunch of points, Puneri Paltan scored them right back.
Despite scoring four points in the last minute, Haryana Steelers lost the match 25-28 as Puneri Paltan clinched their first PKL title in franchise history.
As for standout players during the match, Pune’s Pankaj Mohite scored 9 raid points, which included that amazing four-point raid that turned the tide of the match. While Pune’s Gaurav Khatri scored four points in defense, most of them towards the end of the match to keep his team’s hold on the contest firm.
With another season of the Pro Kabaddi League in the books, fans will see their favorite teams in action in around 10 months’ time.
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