Puneri Paltan clinch maiden PKL title, beat Haryana Steelers 28-25 in gripping Season 10 grand finale

Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) was all set to welcome a new champion when Puneri Paltan (PUN) took on Haryana Steelers (HAR) at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Hyderabad on Friday. Table toppers Paltan went into the summit clash as favourites, and they dominated throughout the thrilling final to clinch their maiden title.

Paltan got off to a strong start as they took a three-point lead 10 minutes into the game, thanks to Mohit Goyat's successful raid. However, without wasting much time, Steelers tied the score at 3-3. After 10 minutes, Gaurav Khatri collected a point for Puneri Paltan to ensure his team remains slightly ahead. 

Pankaj Mohite then gave Paltan's lead a huge boost two minutes before the break in what turned out to be a decisive turn in the crucial match. Despite getting swarmed by an army of Steelers, Mohite managed to get his hands across the line to make the scoreboard reading 13-7. 

But Steelers did not give up and managed to cut the deficit to three points in the last minute of the first half, thanks to Vishal collecting a bonus point and Ashish getting his hands on Nadarajan. Kabaddi fans were assured of an exciting second half with a close-fought battle.

Paltans grab healthy lead to ensure they are ahead

With a do-or-die raid, Goyat added one more point to Platan's account but Ashish responded in style with a point for Haryana. Things turned in Paltan's favor after an All Out for Goyat. Four points were awarded for double Ps and their lead soared to seven. At the end of the strategic timeout in the second half, the scoreboard read 22-16, with Paltan taking a healthy lead. 

With just five minutes remaining, Pune took an eight-point lead - their biggest so far this season - and almost secured the trophy in their cabinet. Spectators were taken to the edge of their seats as Haryana managed to collect two points with half a minute left on the clock for the final whistle. However, the first-time finalists could not pull off a miracle but managed to reduce the deficit to just three points, with Paltan claiming the title 28-25.

Puneri Paltan, who finished the league stage as table toppers with 96 points, winning 17 out of 22 matches, were the first finalists of PKL 2023-24. Led by their skipper Aslam Inamdar who scored seven raid points, Paltan cruised to an emphatic 37-21 win over three-time champions Patna Pirates. 

On the other hand, Haryana Steelers managed to enter the PKL final for the first time after defeating defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers in the semi-finals. Steelers, who finished fifth in the table with 70 points, had to take the Eliminator route to feature in the summit clash.