PKL: Haryana Steelers go down 26-32 against Gujarat Giants

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 31 (ANI): Haryana Steelers suffered a 26-32 defeat against Gujarat Giants in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season eight in Bengaluru on Monday.
It was a hard-fought battle from Haryana Steelers who were looking to continue their four-match unbeaten run.
Captain Vikash Kandola and youngster Meetu registered 15 points between themselves, showcasing their supreme raiding form in the match. But the defensive errors cost Haryana Steelers and they were unable to bridge the gap before the final whistle.
Haryana Steelers started off slow in the match but Vinay managed to open the scoring in the 3rd minute with a picture-perfect raid. Moments later, a successful tackle from youngster Ankit, with support from Jaideep, earned Haryana Steelers their 2nd point and they managed to close down the gap to 2-5.
Jaideep attained a Super Tackle in the 9th minute as Haryana Steelers started finding their way back into the match. In the 12th minute, Rohit Gulia successfully completed a raid with a bonus point and closed down Gujrat Giants' lead to just one point.
But in the 18th minute, Gujarat Giants inflicted an All Out to once again increase their lead by 7 points, and the first half ended with Haryana Steelers trailing by 12-19.
Haryana Steelers started on the right note in the 2nd half with Meetu getting a successful raid and captain Vikash Kandola following it up with another one, along with a bonus point.
Moments later, both Vikash Kandola and Meetu earned two more successful raids, bridging the gap to 18-24 by the 26th minute.
Defensive errors made the situation tricky for Haryana Steelers. But Vikash and Meetu continued to fight to earn successful raid points and keep the pressure on Gujarat Giants, despite the opposition leading by 27-19 by the 29th minute.
Meetu attained back-to-back successful raids with six minutes left in the match as Haryana Steelers continued to fight hard to close down the gap. But another defensive error, followed by an unsuccessful raid from Vikash Kandola, saw Gujarat Giants regaining their 7-point lead.
A successful raid by Meetu, followed by a tackle point saw Haryana Steelers reducing the gap to 26-31 with one minute left on the clock. But Gujarat Giants managed to get a successful tackle point in the final minute to win the match 32-26. (ANI)