Dahiya powers Haryana Steelers to narrow win over Gujarat Giants

Jaipur, Sep 15 (PTI) Skipper Jaideep Dahiya shone bright as Haryana Steelers clinched a hard-fought 40-37 victory against the Gujarat Giants in the Pro Kabaddi League here on Monday.

Dahiya led the way with a High Five, with Shivam Patare recording nine raid points and three tackle points. Vinay also scored eight raid points to round up a team effort from the Haryana Steelers.

In total, Haryana Steelers registered five Super Tackles in the game, which eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides.

For Gujarat Giants, Rakesh Sungroya registered a Super 10 with 14 points, which went in vain.

The match began aggressively with Vinay and Rakesh exchanging blows before Shubham Kumar tackled Shivam on a Do-or-Die raid, giving Gujarat Giants a two-point lead.

Rakesh then scored five points in six minutes to extend the Giants’ advantage. Meanwhile, Vinay kept the Haryana Steelers in the contest, scoring their first four points.

The defending champions showed resilience through a Super Tackle by Sahil Narwal, narrowing the deficit to 7-6. Dahiya and Shivam followed up with Super Tackles of their own, putting the Steelers ahead.

However, Lucky Sharma struck right back with a tackle for Gujarat, ending an eventful first quarter at 11-8.

Lucky Sharma inflicted an ALL OUT on the Steelers but Haryana responded quickly to finish the half strongly at 25-20.

Rakesh efficiently completed his Super 10 in twelve raid attempts, while Nitin Panwar tackled Vinay to give Gujarat the ideal start to the second half.

However, each time the Giants sniffed a comeback, the defending champions were quick to shut the door. Rahul Ahri bagged a Super Tackle, and Dahiya followed up by completing his High Five, keeping Haryana Steelers ahead at 32-27.

Mohammadreza Shadloui then opened his account with a tackle on Shivam in a Do-or-Die raid, keeping the Giants in the hunt with eight minutes left.

Himanshu Singh’s tackle eventually brought the scores level at 33-33.

The Steelers, however, held their nerve in the closing stages to deny the Giants any late surge. Vinay applied the finishing touches to seal the win. PTI ATK UNG