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Pro Kabaddi 2018, Tamil Thalaivas vs Haryana Steelers, Highlights: As It Happened
Preview: The two teams have played only once before, in PKL 5, where the match ended in a 25-25 tie. Both sides have lost 3 out of their last 5 games. (2 wins and 3 loss each). Tamil Thalaivas won their last match against UP Yoddha by 22 points and are on a good run while Haryana Steelers also won their last game against U Mumba. The two teams will seek a crucial win at the NSCI indoor stadium in Mumbai.Follow Tamil Thalaivas vs Haryana Steelers live updates, below -
21:02 hrs IST
Match ends in a tie
Just when it seemed as it Tamil Thalaivas will win all the points at the final hooter, Vikas Kandola comes up with the goods and wins a raid point to level the match in the dying seconds of the game. Jasvir Singh didn’t go for the kill in the last raid of the day as the match ended in a thrilling 32-32 tie.
20:57 hrs IST
Thalaivas’ take the lead
Tamil Thalaivas have taken the lead once again in this topsy turvy encounter as super tackle on Vikas Kandola wins them a two-point lead after Sukesh Hegde had levelled the match with a raid point. Kandola is then taken down for the second time in as many minutes as Thalaivas now lead 32-29.
20:50 hrs IST
Thalaivas level proceedings
Ajay Thakur keeps his good run going and wins a raid point for his team. Vikas Kandola matches Thakur move for move as he wins a raid point for Haryana. Naveen is then taken down by the Thalaivas’s defenders and the match is now level at 27-27 as Jasvir wins a raid point after Sachin’s foot went out of the backline.
20:44 hrs IST
Cautious play from both sets of players
The players are keeping things simple at the moment in order to not make any mistakes and hand over the initiative to the opposition. Thalaivas’ Sukesh and Haryana’s Kandola are taken down in quick succession. Ajay Thakur wins a raid point for the Thalaivas. Kandola comes up with a bonus point as Haryana now lead 26-24.
20:38 hrs IST
Thalaivas hit back
Tamil Thalaivas are now slowly and steadily eating into the lead of Haryana Steelers. Sukesh Hegde wins a raid point for them while the defenders catch hold of Mayur Shivtarkar. Haryana now lead by just one point at 21-20.
20:32 hrs IST
Second half begins
Manjeet Chillar starts the second half with an empty raid. Naven is caught by the Thalaivas defenders emphatically and he is ousted from the court. First point of the second half for the Steelers as they get rid of Athul. Vikas Kandol also goes down by won a bonus point before getting caught and Haryana now lead 21-17.
20:26 hrs IST
Haryana turn the match on its head
Kandola comes up with the good just when it mattered the most as he takes his team into the lead. He effects an all-out on Thalaivas and wins four points for his team as Haryana go into the lead. Jasvir is taken down again while Kandola wins a raid point as well a bonus point to stretch the teams lead. Haryana go into the break with a healthy lead of 19-15.
20:20 hrs IST
Haryana take the lead
After being down for majority of the first half, Haryana Steelers have hit back to snatch back the lead. It all started with Thakur being taken down by their defenders and then, the Haryana raider Vikas Kandola took centrestage. He won back to back raid points to move Haryana within four points of the Thalaivas’ lead.
20:15 hrs IST
Haryana trying to stage a comeback
Jasvir Singh and Ajay Thakur are taken out in quick succession by the Haryana defenders and they are now taking to storm back into the match. But Monu Goyat’s cannot shake off his poor form and is once again ousted. Sukesh Hegde wins a bonus point as well as a raid point to extend Thalaivas’ lead to 13-5.
20:10 hrs IST
Ajay Thakur on fire
Jasvir Singh still cannot open his account and he is taken down by the Haryana defenders. Vikas Kandola is stopped in his path as he is now taken down by the Thalaivas. Ajay Thakur wins back to back raid points to increase Thalaivas lead to 8-3.
20:05 hrs IST
Thalaivas on the front foot
Monu Goyat is taken out in the first raid of the night itself. Ajay Thakur then wins a raid point in his first raid to issue a warning to the opposition. Vikas Kandola continues is good scoring run as he wins Haryana’s first raid point fof the day. But after Jasvir Singh’s empty raid, Monu Goyat is taken out for the second time and Haryana trail 1-4.
20:01 hrs IST
Toss
Tamil Thalaivas have won the toss and they have opted for the left hand side of the court. This means that Haryana Steelers will start the proceedings with the first raid of the night.
19:56 hrs IST
Kandola overshadowing skipper Goyat
Vikas Kandola has played 3 more matches than Ajay Thakur and has been Haryana’s lead raider overshadowing Monu Goyat. Kandola is coming off his career-best performance in PKL as his 15 raid points helped Haryana upset highly fancied U Mumba in the Steelers’ last game.
19:52 hrs IST
Players to watch out for!
Both Ajay Thakur and Vikas Kandola are close to completing a century of raid points in PKL 6. They have 96 raid points each and are joint 4th in most raid points scored this season. Ajay Thakur has been the sole consistent raider for Tamil Thalaivas and has been averaging close to 11 raid points a game. Ajay’s current average of 10.6 raid points a game is his best across all seasons of PKL.
19:45 hrs IST
Head to head
The two teams haven’t crossed paths many times in the league and have only played once before. Thalaivas and Steelers came face to face in PKL 5 where the match ended in a 25-25 tie.
19:35 hrs IST
Hello and welcome
A very warm welcome to the live blog of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 match between Tamil Thalaivas and Haryana Steelers. The first match of the night will be played at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai where the two teams will look to build on their victory in their respective last matches.
