Rivalry Week of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 came to a thrilling end as the Patna Pirates handed Dabang Delhi K.C. their first defeat of the season in a pulsating 33-30 win. The Haryana Steelers, meanwhile, held their nerve to edge out a 38-36 victory against the Tamil Thalaivas. Speaking exclusively on KBD Live, JioStar expert Rishank Devadiga hailed Patna Pirates’ super-sub Ankit Rana and captain Ankit Jaglan, analyzed Arjun Deshwal’s performance, and elaborated on Haryana’s raiding duo Vinay and Shivam Patare.
Speaking on KBD Live, JioStar expert Rishank Devadiga spoke about Haryana Steelers’ performance against Tamil Thalaivas: “We saw how Haryana Steelers dominated the game from the start. It was a great performance, and they played well
together as a team. But towards the end, the Steelers lost focus, and Tamil Thalaivas almost pulled off a comeback. Haryana got a bit lucky in the end. If Arjun Deshwal had made the right decision on the mat, the match could have gone his team's way. A special congratulations to Haryana Steelers’ Manpreet Singh on winning his 100th match as a coach in the Pro Kabaddi League — a truly special achievement.”
On Tamil Thalaivas feeling the absence of Pawan Sehrawat: “The lack of the ‘high-flyer’ is clearly visible because there isn’t a captain or leader in the team who takes charge and makes the right decisions in crucial situations. Tamil Thalaivas could have won the game against Haryana. When Mayank Saini came to raid, the defense should have just let him take the bonus point and then gone for the tackle. Instead, Ronak went for the tackle against Mayank, it proved unsuccessful, and two points were lost. That moment took the match out of their hands. This is why having a decision-maker on the mat is so important. The Thalaivas are definitely missing a mature player like Pawan Sehrawat, and it has been clearly visible in their last two matches.”
Dominance we’ve seen from the Haryana Steelers, has been outstanding: Rishank Devadiga
On Arjun Deshwal’s performance against Haryana Steelers: “Arjun Deshwal took a lot of time to find his rhythm against the Haryana Steelers. If he had been raiding consistently and picking up points early, the team’s morale would have lifted. He struggled at the start with just three or four raid points and was tackled several times. In the end, he managed 13 points in 19 raids, most of them coming late. But Arjun will have to do better. If Tamil Thalaivas want to push ahead and make the playoffs, it’s crucial for him to step up.”
On Haryana Steelers’ raiding duo of Vinay and Shivam Patare: “The dominance we’ve seen from the Haryana Steelers, especially in raiding despite Naveen Kumar’s absence, has been outstanding. The way Vinay and Shivam Patare have performed makes them one of the best raiding pairs this season. With raiders like Shivam and Vinay, the defense gets complete freedom to play openly, and we saw that clearly against the Telugu Titans.”
On Patna Pirates’ comeback win: “We have seen a lot of close matches this season, but this one will be the most special for me. At one point, we had given up hope of Patna Pirates winning against Dabang Delhi K.C., but this comeback will be remembered for a long time. Ankit Rana played exceptionally well, and captain Ankit Jaglan also stepped up at the right time. Both, defense and raiding, clicked together. The way Ankit got points was outstanding. I think he had seven-eight raids and scored in almost every one of them, which gave huge momentum to the team. When a player performs like that, the whole team rallies behind him, and that’s exactly what happened against Delhi. His effort helped Patna Pirates clinch the win.”
On the spotlight on Gujarat Giants captain Mohammadreza Shadloui ahead of their match on Monday against the Bengaluru Bulls: “All eyes will be on Mohammadreza Shadloui because we haven’t yet seen a trademark Shadloui performance this season. Fans are hoping he delivers against the Bengaluru Bulls, especially after getting a big rest. The expectation is to see his aggression and energy come alive in tackles, something everyone is eagerly waiting for.”
(With Inputs from Press Release)
