PKL 8: Haryana Steelers, Telugu Titans playout 39-39 draw

Bengaluru, Jan 25 (IANS) Haryana Steelers and Telugu Titans played out a thrilling 39-39 draw in Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 here on Tuesday.

It was an evenly-contested battle between the two teams that saw skipper Vikash Kandola leading from the front and earning his fifth Super 10 of the season. But a successful tackle from Telugu Titans in the final second of the match gave them a point and led the match to a tie. Haryana Steelers picked up three points to reach the third position in the table.

Rohit Gulia gave Haryana Steelers an early lead, getting a successful raid in the first minute. He continued to earn Raid Points while Mohit and Jaideep successfully defended Telugu Titan's back-to-back raids as they took a 4-1 lead by the 5th minute.

In the 10th minute, Vikash Kandola attained a fantastic Super Raid, picking three points, and they increased their lead to 11-4. In the 14th minute, Haryana Steelers inflicted an all-out to take a 14-9 lead. But Telugu Titans also inflicted an All Out in the last minute of the first half to close the gap. Haryana Steelers remained in lead by 20-19 at halftime.

Vinay earned a successful raid in the first minute of the second half to maintain Haryana Steelers' lead. He managed to get another successful raid a minute later to further exceed his team's lead. In-form Rohit Gulia earned his 5th successful raid to take the score to 24-20 in the 24th minute. However, a minute later, Telugu Titans closed down the gap with a Super Raid and then inflicted an all-out in the 30th minute to take a 30-28 lead.

Moments later, Vinay levelled the score with another successful raid, getting two touchpoints. Jaideep earned a successful tackle in the 34th minute to make it 32-32.

Moments later, captain Vikash Kandola earned his 6th successful raid to help his team regain their lead. In the 37th minute, Haryana Steelers inflicted their second All Out of the match to take a 38-33 lead. Vinay managed to get a touchpoint in the final minute of the match, but Vikash Kandola could not successfully complete his final raid and the match ended with scores levelled.