How Did Naveen and Shivam Patare Lead Haryana Steelers to Victory Over U Mumba?

Visakhapatnam, Sept 3 (NationPress) The Haryana Steelers achieved their inaugural victory of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 against U Mumba in a nail-biting match that culminated in a tie-breaker—the third of its kind in 12 games—held at the Vishwanadh Sports Club on Wednesday.

Ajit Chouhan's Super 10 and Naveen Kumar's pivotal Super Raid were the highlights of this rollercoaster battle, which saw Shivam Patare's remarkable strike in the tie-breaker ultimately secure the win for the Steelers.

U Mumba began the match with high energy, as Ajit Chouhan made a successful raid to put points on the board. Following some impressive tackles, U Mumba surged to a 5-0 lead. The pressure escalated for the Steelers, who faced an ALL OUT within just over six minutes, leaving them trailing 2-12—the fastest All-Out recorded in this season.

Ajit Chouhan continued to shine, adding essential raid points and maintaining the pressure on Haryana. However, the defending champions started to claw back. By the tenth minute, they had closed the gap to 8-14, and shortly thereafter, a tackle by Shivam on Ajit removed U Mumba's star raider, allowing the Steelers to enforce an ALL OUT of their own and cut the deficit to 12-16.

The momentum shifted further in the latter stages of the half. A brilliant raid by Vinay brought the Steelers closer, and a stunning tackle on Ajit in the last three minutes brought the score to 19-20. Vinay then equalized at 20-20 with another successful raid. U Mumba, however, managed to hold their ground, entering halftime with a narrow lead of 23-20.

U Mumba quickly extended their lead to 24-21 within the first two minutes of the second half. A composed finish from Sandeep during a Do-or-Die raid increased their advantage to 26-21. Just when it seemed U Mumba might pull away, Naveen Kumar stepped up with two vital raid points, reducing the gap to 23-26. Ajit Chouhan soon completed his Super 10, helping U Mumba push forward to 31-25 early in the final quarter.

But the Steelers were not finished yet. Naveen spearheaded their response, closing the gap to 27-31 in the seventh minute. In a decisive moment within the last three minutes, Naveen executed a breathtaking raid that inflicted an ALL OUT, putting the Haryana Steelers ahead for the first time.

With the score tied at 34-34 after U Mumba secured a bonus point, tension escalated. Shivam Patare propelled the Steelers back into the lead with a successful raid, but Ajit Chouhan quickly countered to level the score again. Naveen stumbled in a critical raid, giving U Mumba the upper hand. In the final seconds, Ajit Chouhan attempted a Do-or-Die raid but was captured, allowing Haryana to draw level at 36-36 and push the match into a tie-breaker.

This marked U Mumba's second tie-breaker of the season, but it was the Haryana Steelers who struck first. The tie-breaker was a thrilling exchange, with both teams exchanging blows rapidly.

U Mumba made their mark first through Sunil Kumar and Sandeep, while Ajit Chouhan added to his tally with another successful raid. The Steelers, however, countered with determination—Jaya Soorya and Vinay contributed critical points before Shivam Patare delivered a jaw-dropping Super Raid, eliminating Rohit Raghav, Sandeep, and Rinku in one go.

That pivotal strike shifted the momentum entirely in favor of Haryana, and despite U Mumba's efforts to recover, the Steelers maintained their composure to secure a thrilling tie-breaker victory.