The Bengal Warriorz and the Haryana Steelers won their first matches of the Pro Kabaddi League season on Thursday at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
The Bengal Warriorz, riding on the performances of Maninder Singh, Sushil Kambrekar and Nitin Dhankhar, beat the UP Yoddhas 32-29. Bharat scored 13 points for the Yoddhas.
Maninder started off brilliantly for the Bengal Warriorz, as he picked up the majority of the points in the early exchanges for his side. Supporting Maninder Singh quite well was the in-form Dhankhar.
At the midway stage of the first half, both sides were locked at 8-8, with the Yoddhas having fought back after trailing up until then. The Warriorz fought hard and went into the half-time break with the score reading 12-11 in their favour. For the Yoddhas, Bharat was leading the points tally with five points to his name at the break.
It was a cautious start to the second half from both sides, but the first points went to the Yoddhas. As the half wore on, both teams continued to trade points, with neither letting the other out of sight.
Maninder, Dhankhar, Kambrekar and Fazel Atrachali were leading the charge for the Warriorz, while Bharat was fighting away for the Yoddhas. Midway through the second half, the Bengal Warriorz had a slender one-point lead.
In the final ten minutes of the contest, the Bengal Warriorz cranked up the pressure. Dhankhar inflicted an all out on the Yoddhas, to extend the Warriorz’s lead.
That was followed up by some superb defending led by Atrachali. In the final few minutes, the Yoddhas threatened as Bharat and Bhavani Rajput picked up a few crucial points. However, it wasn’t enough as the Warriorz came away with their first win of the season.
The Haryana Steelers registered their first win of the after beating the Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-25 with Vinay, Naveen and Shivam Patare playing starring roles for their side.
The Steelers were out of the blocks at rapid pace and picked up a three-point lead within the first few minutes of the game. Naveen and Vinay were causing the Pink Panthers plenty of problems in the initial phases. The Steelers were doing well to keep the opponents at bay in the early phase.
As the contest reached the half way stage of the first half, the Steelers had established a three-point lead and were looking to consolidate further.
With the clock ticking away, it was the Steelers’ Vinay who was having the biggest impact on the game. Vinay’s tally of nine points in the first half proved crucial as his went into the break with the score at 20-11 in their favour.
The second half started with the Pink Panthers picking up the first points, in what was a cautious and watchful start. The Steelers’ had a substantial lead and were looking to build on it, while the Pink Panthers were looking at the likes of Abhijeet Malik to lead the charge in attack.
Midway through the second half, the Haryana Steelers led by 12 points with Vinay and Naveen accounting for 16 points by themselves.
The Steelers were in the box seat as the final phase of the contest rolled on. Vinay had completed his Super 10, and was getting ample support from the rest of the team, all of whom were in fine form on the day.
As always, the Steelers’ defence left their mark on the contest, foiling attacks with relative ease, leaving the Pink Panthers in a spot of bother. Eventually, the Steelers walked off the mat with a comprehensive win.
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