New Delhi, Oct 19 (NationPress) U Mumba achieved a thrilling 7–4 victory in the tie-breaker against the Haryana Steelers, securing an essential win that propelled them into the top eight of PKL Season 12 at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. The standout performer for the winning side was Sandeep, who scored 9 points.

The Steelers commenced the match with great energy, taking the first point through a successful raid by Vinay. Shortly after, a fantastic tackle by Jaideep added another point, giving the Steelers an early 2-1 lead. Shivam Patare then executed a remarkable two-point raid, further extending their advantage. The Steelers’ defense was impressive, consistently applying pressure on the U Mumba raiders.

Keeping their momentum, the Steelers executed an early ALL OUT within the first five minutes, establishing a commanding 10-3 lead. Nevertheless, U Mumba retaliated with a Super Raid by Sandeep, narrowing the gap to 10-7. Despite this effort, the Steelers maintained their dominance both offensively and defensively. By the time the first half reached its Strategic Time Out, the Haryana Steelers were comfortably ahead at 13-8.

After the break, U Mumba kicked off strongly, gaining the first point with a solid tackle from Vijay Kumar. However, the Haryana Steelers quickly responded as Jaideep executed another successful tackle to regain momentum.

Both teams exchanged points in the following minutes, showcasing exceptional intensity on the mat. The Steelers regained control with a brilliant Super Tackle, adding two points to extend their lead to 18-12.

But U Mumba rallied back with vigor. Ajit Chouhan led the charge with a successful raid that allowed his team to execute an ALL OUT, earning five points and reducing the deficit to 19-17. The momentum shifted decisively towards U Mumba, who maintained pressure and soon leveled the score at 19-19.

As the first half concluded, both teams were evenly matched, with the scoreboard reading 20-20.

With the start of the second half, U Mumba quickly took the lead with a successful raid from Sandeep. They briefly held a two-point advantage before the Haryana Steelers countered with a Super Tackle, leveling the scores at 22-22 as Jaideep completed his High 5.

A few minutes later, the Steelers executed another Super Tackle to take a 24-23 lead, but U Mumba swiftly fought back to equalize and then retake the lead, thanks to an excellent tackle by Rinku. The Steelers immediately responded with another Super Tackle to regain a one-point lead. By the time the Strategic Time Out was called, the Haryana Steelers led 28-25, holding a three-point cushion after a fiercely contested period.

Upon resuming play, Parvesh Bhainswal’s tackle gave U Mumba the first point, narrowing the gap to 26-28. The Haryana Steelers quickly retaliated as Rahul executed a brilliant tackle to regain momentum. A powerful Super Raid from Sandeep then put U Mumba ahead 31-30, and they followed it up by inflicting an ALL OUT to extend their lead to 34-31.

With just under a minute remaining, the Steelers fought back through Sahil Narwal, whose tackle leveled the scores. But U Mumba struck back again - a crucial Super Tackle earned them two points and a late lead.

The Steelers refused to go down without a fight. Mayank Saini executed a successful raid for a point, and Sahil Narwal completed another brilliant tackle to tie the score at 37-37, sending the match into a tie-breaker. The Haryana Steelers started the tie-breaker on a strong note, scoring the first point on their opening raid.

However, U Mumba quickly responded with a successful raid to even the score. The Steelers regained the lead shortly after, but U Mumba once again fought back to bring the score level.

With the score tied at 3-3, U Mumba’s defense stepped up at a crucial moment, executing a brilliant tackle to take the lead at 4-3. Soon after, Sathish Kannan delivered a game-changing Super Raid, earning three vital points and extending U Mumba’s lead to 7-3. This proved to be the decisive moment, as U Mumba held their nerve and clinched a remarkable victory in the tie-breaker.