Jaipur Pink Panthers Vs Haryana Steelers 28 February 2024

Full-Time
Jaipur Pink Panthers 27- 31 Haryana Steelers

We will have a first-time champion in PKL 10 as the Haryana Steelers join the Puneri Paltan in the Finale on Friday night!

What a terrific performance from Manpreet Singh's side to completely blindside the Jaipur Pink Panthers and reach their first-ever Final. We expected a game where their defense would do the talking, but instead, it was the in-form Vinay and a stellar Shivam Patare who called the shots, making the most of some poor defending from Jaipur.

In defense, Rahul Sethpal had a decent game, but the rest of the defense couldn't deal with Arjun Deshwal's speed. Everyone except for Ashish that is. The all-rounder quietly dove in with precision to score 4 tackle points on the night, and guess what? He had 0 unsuccessful raids or tackles, meaning that he was present on the mat for all 40 minutes!

For Jaipur, it was all Arjun Deshwal, and you have to feel for their star raider, who simply didn't get enough from his team on the night. The experienced Sunil Kumar and Ankush, in particular, had a woeful outing, with Reza and Sahul also struggling against Shivam Patare.

Arjun Deshwal is also now level with Ashu Malik on the raiders' leaderboard, and the two stars of PKL 10 will share the Best Raider award come Friday.

However, that is but a footnote on what is a massive evening in PKL history as it sets up a finale that will see a team getting crowned as champions for the first time! So who will it be? The unstoppable, invincible Puneri Paltan, or the underdogs Haryana Steelers coached by one of Kabaddi's beloved figures, Manpreet Singh? 

Join us on Friday to find out! Until then, this is Shreyas signing off. Good Night.

2nd Half, 40'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 27- 31 Haryana Steelers

Terrific game management from Vinay, who uses up 26 seconds in his do-or-die raid before going in and actually picking up a point as a listless Ankush concedes another freebie.

Reza Mirbagheri is pushed back to his own half by the Haryana captain and soon enough, the whistle blows for full-time, and the Haryana Steelers make history! They have stunned the Jaipur Pink Panthers to reach their first-ever PKL Final.

2nd Half, 39'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 26 - 30 Haryana Steelers

That could be the win for the Haryana Steelers! Ashish once again strikes from that right-in position with an absolutely mighty double thigh hold and Arjun Deshwal's lone battle may have come to an end. 4th tackle point of the night for the all-rounder, and he has been their best defender.

2nd Half, 38:23'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 26 - 29 Haryana Steelers

Mohit hasn't been able to deal with Arjun all game, and once again, he makes light work of the left corner to get another point, and Manpreet Singh isn't happy.

Haryana call a timeout, and with close to 100 seconds to play, this is still anyone's game. Who will win the battle of game management?

2nd Half, 38'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 25 - 29 Haryana Steelers

Arjun Deshwal claims a bonus point, and in the context of this game, this could be crucial. He reviews the decision, but he seems to have cut the line, and it's unsuccessful.

2nd Half, 37'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 25 - 29 Haryana Steelers

With the grace of a gazelle, Vinay spins a web around the Jaipur defense, finds an escape route from where it seemed impossible to get away with two points in an insane raid! That's his Super 10, and it's a mighty good one at that.

Jaipur down to two now and staring at another all-out.

But they show why they're the most successful teams in the league and refuse to give up, and finally, Reza Mirbagheri has something to celebrate as he and Sahul Kumar inflict a Super Tackle on Vinay to keep Jaipur in this game.

Will Haryana rue that raid?

2nd Half, 35'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 22 - 27 Haryana Steelers

The substitute Shubham Shelke now has to head back to the bench as Ashish times his challenge from the right-in position well, but crucially, Mohit Khaler makes an error and steps out of bounds in the same raid, and as a result, Arjun Deshwal is revived.

He immediately makes an impact, this time getting the substitute left corner Naveen Kundu.

2nd Half, 33'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 20 - 26 Haryana Steelers

Ohh, Mohit Khaler! What a tackle that is! A very risky attempt that from the left corner, but he manages to catch Bhavani Rajput off-guard there, and converts his dash into a double thigh-hold and a block, toppling Bhavani's massive frame outside the mat.

Rahul Sethpal in the other corner now strikes with a solid ankle hold on Ajith Kumar and Jaipur are in deep trouble now!

No wait, Vinay adds another point to the Steelers' tally, and now they're in even deeper trouble! It's a do-or-die raid for the Steelers, and in a 1v4 situation, the Jaipur defense should've done much better. Instead, they let Vinay hurry them into making errors, and it's Ankush who comes in with a late dash that's easy to escape from.

2nd Half, 30'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 20 - 23 Haryana Steelers

The bonus is there for the taking for Jaipur, and Ajith Kumar makes the most of it by picking up his first raid point of the night. At the other end, the do-or-die raid comes around for the Steelers, and Shivam Patare is done in by a patient Jaipur defense, with Ankush coming with the dash.

The whistle blows for the timeout, and Jaipur have done well to reduce the deficit to three. Can they go all the way and complete the comeback?

2nd Half, 28'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 18 - 23 Haryana Steelers

Rahul Sethpal gets the big fish! Arjun forced to go it alone in a 1v5 situation, and Rahul Sethpal in the right corner takes it upon himself, diving in with a firm ankle hold, and the rest of the defense supports him brilliantly.

Ajith Kumar the only raider on the mat for Jaipur now.

2nd Half, 26'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 18 - 22 Haryana Steelers

Do-or-die raid for Bhavani Rajput and with no bonus to defend, the Haryana defense can play a deeper line of defense, and Jaideep Dahiya dives in to secure his 1st tackle point of the evening.

At the other end, Sahul Kumar strikes from an inverted left corner position to trap Vinay in a do-or-die raid for the Steelers. They're trading blows here.

2nd Half, 24'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 17 - 21 Haryana Steelers

Huge raid from Bhavani Rajput, who quickly gets the touch on the dangerous Shivam Patare. However, Vinay takes over for the Steelers, and this time, the error comes in from Ankush, who has been awfully quiet tonight.

Haryana down to five, and the lack of a bonus point is keeping Arjun quiet here.

2nd Half, 22'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 16 - 20 Haryana Steelers

Ohh, potentially huge moment in this contest immediately after half-time. Arjun Deshwal goes in to raid, and he looks to have gotten away with a bonus+point here. However, Haryana review the decision, and it looks close.

He clearly gets the bonus does Arjun, but Jaideep Dahiya's dash is a good one, and for all of Arjun's brilliance, the rest of his body appears to be out of bounds when he crosses the mid-line. Well, the TV umpire disagrees with that assessment and Haryana lose their review.

And with that, Arjun gets to his Super 10.

Great start to the 2nd half for Jaipur. No, scratch that. Shivam Patare is getting Reza Mirbagheri for fun, and at this point, he's clearly gotten into the Iranian's head. 5th time Shivam gets him tonight.

Arjun then continues picking points off his bunny for the night, the left corner Mohit Khaler. Arjun goes in for the bonus and is quick to get out, and Mohit's ankle hold is too late to be successful.

Half-Time
Jaipur Pink Panthers 13 - 19 Haryana Steelers

A very weak defensive performance and lack of support for Arjun Deshwal in the raiding department leaves the defending champions trailing by 6 points at half-time, and Sahul Kumar and Reza Mirbagheri will be disappointed with how they've dealt with the left-raiding brilliance of Shivam Patare.

The Steelers have done well so far, with both Vinay and Shivam excelling in the raiding department. If they can manage to keep Arjun quiet even for a brief while, they could gain control of this match.

A 6-point lead could disappear like that in Kabaddi and an intense and exciting 2nd half awaits. Don't go anywhere!

1st Half, 20'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 13 - 19 Haryana Steelers

Ohh, Bhavani Rajput you beauty! First raid point scored by someone not named Arjun Deshwal, but it has come at the right time for Jaipur. It's a do-or-die raid for Bhavani, but he anticipates the challenge coming in from the left corner, rides the challenge, and uses the lobby and his reach to good effect to escape from Mohit Nandal's dash as well.

The final raid of the half is a do-or-die raid for Shivam Patare, and he seems so comfortable against the right side of Jaipur's defense that a point against Sahul Kumar is a mere formality.

The whistle blows for half-time, and the Steelers take a 6-point lead into the break.

1st Half, 19'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 11 - 18 Haryana Steelers

Hat-trick of points for Shivam Patare and this time he gets the big fish Sunil Kumar, who shifted himself to the right corner, but goes in late with his attempted challenge.

Shivam Patare has simply negated Arjun's efforts at getting Jaipur back into the game, but the blame partly lies with the Jaipur defense.

1st Half, 17'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 11 - 17 Haryana Steelers

Arjun Deshwal vs the left corner, and there's only one winner. He's too smart is Arjun and he nails the reverse touch on a slightly out of position Mohit. However, the Jaipur defense is leaking plenty of points at the other end, and Reza Mirbagheri is caught out by the swift Shivam Patare.

Arjun continues his scoring spree, though, this time, faking the toe touch with the right and executing it with the left to catch Mohit Nandal out.

However, Shivam Patare continues to terrorize Reza Mirbagheri and it's almost an action replay of the previous raid as he gets away with another point. Arjun once again pulls one back through a bonus point.

1st Half, 15'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 8 - 15 Haryana Steelers

The Steelers' defense strikes immediately after the all-out, with Ajith Kumar brought down by a double ankle hold from the left corner Mohit.

At the other end, Reza Mirbagheri appears to have dashed Shivam Patare off court, but in the process, he might have gone past the mid-line himself, but no, the referees contend that it's a fair tackle.

Bhavani Rajput's 2nd raid is an unsuccessful raid too, and this time, it's the right corner Rahul Sethpal who opens his account for the night with a solid knee hold.

1st Half, 13'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 7 - 13 Haryana Steelers

Ohh, Sahul Kumar, that's silly! With a 4-man defense, Jaipur has the advantage against Vinay, but the right corner lets go of the chain and goes in for a challenge on the raider which he easily anticipates and gets away from.

And ohh! Vinay gets another, but this was more hard-fought. Reza Mirbagheri's advanced tackle looks like a lost cause, but he converts a double ankle hold into a knee hold, and for a second there, it looks like Vinay wouldn't make it to the mid-line, but he digs in deep and makes it past on the second occasion.

Down to two, Arjun Deshwal has to deliver, but the Haryana defense bests him for the first time this season. He gets the bonus does Arjun, but the right cover Mohit Nandal comes in with a solid block. Vinay then comfortably completes the all-out, and guess what, the Steelers have stunned the defending champions early.

1st Half, 10'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 6 - 7 Haryana Steelers

Ohh, this time, it's Jaipur's turn to review for a multi-point raid. Arjun Deshwal does well to ride the dash from the two Haryana covers, and while the touch on Mohit Nandal is given, it doesn't look like he gets one on Jaideep Dahiya and the TV Umpire agrees!

Jaipur lose their review for the half, and right after that decision, the whistle blows for a timeout, and so far, this has been a really disciplined and cagey encounter.

1st Half, 9'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 5 - 7 Haryana Steelers

Arjun is yet to be sent to the bench tonight, and he scores his 3rd raid point of the night, getting a bonus point under the nose of the left chain.

This has been a very quiet game with plenty of empty raids, and finally, a do-or-die raid comes for the Steelers, and Vinay passes the test with fyling colors. Sunil Kumar of all people goes in with an advanced challenge, but Vinay sees it coming and turns, composes himself, then uses his reach to get to the mid-line.

He also claims a touch on Ajith Kumar who gets close to him, and while it initially isn't given, he reviews the decision and it is overturned. Good review that! 

1st Half, 7'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 4 - 5 Haryana Steelers

A do-or-die raid comes about for the Steelers and Vinay gets the touch on Sahul Kumar, who also goes flying out of bounds. But wait what! Vinay is also declared to be self-out! There's got to be an explanation for that because he got a very clear touch on the Jaipur right corner.

At the other end, Bhavani Rajput's first raid is an unsuccessful one, and once again, it's Ashish who strikes with his precise and well-timed diving ankle holds, catching the raider off-guard once more.

The Steelers pull ahead into the lead for the first time this match.

1st Half, 5'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 3 - 3 Haryana Steelers

Shivam Patare looking really sharp tonight, and the Jaipur defense don't take a risk as he goes for the bonus point and gets it. At the other end, with Haryana down to five, Jaipur put in a couple of quiet empty raids.

The do-or-die raid arrives, and V Ajith Kumar takes the responsibility. However, it's Ashish who strikes with a well-timed diving double ankle hold from the left-in position.

1st Half, 2'
Jaipur Pink Panthers 3 - 1 Haryana Steelers

Sahul Kumar was sensational in the playoffs last season, and he seems to have turned on the heat this time around as well. Vinay eyes a relatively simple empty raid first time out, but a confident Sahul goes in for the chain tackle and does so convincingly.

Arjun Deshwal follows it up with a swift reverse toe touch on Mohit Khaler. He's going to have a long night is the Haryana left corner. 

Shivam Patare opens Haryana's account with a really swift running hand touch on the left cover Reza. Arjun Deshwal once again gets the Haryana left corner, and this time, it's their co-captain Jaideep who was deputizing there.

Make yourself familiar with the history and records behind this match-up by clicking the link below:

Click on the link below to get a preview of the three most important player battles in this crucial clash:

Get your Dream11 team selections spot-on by going through Sportskeeda's Dream11 prediction for this match:

Team News

Here are the starting lineups for both teams:

Jaipur Pink Panthers: Sunil Kumar (C), Arjun Deshwal, Ankush, Sahul Kumar, V Ajith Kumar, Bhavani Rajput, and Reza Mirbagheri.

Haryana Steelers: Jaideep Dahiya (C), Mohit Nandal, Vinay, Shivam Patare, Ashish, Rahul Sethpal, and Mohit Khaler.

As expected, Jaipur don't mess about and name their strongest starting 7 they persisted with for most of the season, with Bhavani Rajput the most notable returnee. Haryana remain unchanged from their win against Gujarat.

Preview

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of the tenth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. We're down to the penultimate game of the season and it's the 2nd semi-final between the Jaipur Pink Panthers and the Haryana Steelers here at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

The defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers will want to give themselves an opportunity to win back-to-back titles and join Patna Pirates in the 3-time winners Club. They cruised through the group-stage, overshadowed only by the brilliance of the Puneri Paltan, and with Arjun Deshwal and the rest of the team in top form coming into this game, they'll be backing themselves to win this and make the finals.

However, after a 17-point win over a quality Gujarat Giants side, Manpreet Singh's Haryana Steelers are now in uncharted territory. Having never won a playoff match in PKL history, the Steelers will be buoyed by the convincing manner in which it came about. They were able to shackle the Gujarat raiding unit comfortably, and it's their defense that'll once again be the key to their efforts to make the final.

The two meetings between these sides in the group-stage both ended in rather one-sided victories for Jaipur, but now that we're in the knockout stages, all that goes out the window. It's about which team plays better kabaddi on the night, and right now, the odds are pretty even. Expect a cracking contest to close out this wonderful Wednesday as by the end of this match, we will know the identity of our two finalists for PKL 10.

Stay tuned for more updates!