PKL 2019, Haryana Steelers vs Puneri Paltan: As it happened

Haryana Steelers defeated Dharamaraj Cheralathan-led Puneri Paltan 34-24 in the sixth match of the Pro Kabaddi League 2019 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. 

Here are the highlights from the match:

# The Haryana Steelers get their campaign off to a winning start with a  34-24 win over Puneri Paltan!  

# Three minutes left for the clash to end as the Puneri Paltan attempt to run down the clock. Pawan Kadyan completes a successful raid as the Paltans trail by eight points against the Haryana Steelers. Haryana Steelers 31-23 Puneri Paltan 

# The Haryana Steelers reach 30 points following a successful tackle by the Haryana Steelers defence on the Puneri Paltan raider Surjeet Singh! Haryana Steelers 30-20 Puneri Paltan   

# Five and a half minutes left for the end of the clash as the Steelers lead 29-20 against the Puneri Paltan!  

# It has been an excellent performance by the Haryana Steelers defence as the clash enters the final 10 minutes with the Steelers leading 27-16 over the Puneri Paltan! 

# 13 minutes left for the end of the clash as the Puneri Paltan attempt to make a comeback in a clash which has been dominated so far by the Haryana Steelers!  

# An excellent tackle by Paltan defender Manjeet as the Puneri Paltan reduce the lead to nine points with the score 25-14 in favour of the Paltan!   

# An excellent effort by Paltan raider Manjeet adding another point to the Puneri Paltan scoreline. 16 and a half minutes to go, Haryana Steelers 24-12 Puneri Paltan!  

# Puneri Paltan raider Pawan Kadian returns back following an empty raid as the scoreline reads 22-11 in favour of the Haryana Steelers at the end of the first two minutes!  

# The second half is set to start! 

# Naveen has been the star performer for the Haryana Steelers with six raid points! 

# The Haryana Steelers lead 22-10 over the Puneri Paltan at the end of the first half on the back of an excellent performance by the defence! 

# Nearly two points left for the end of the clash as Haryana Steelers lead 21-9 over the Puneri Paltan on the back of a successful ankle hold on Amit Kumar by the Steelers defence! 

# The Haryana Steelers have scored 10 points in the last five minutes in comparison to three for the Puneri Paltan! 

# Just five minutes left for the end of the first half as a successful raid by Steelers raider Naveen increases the lead to 18-8 in favour of the Haryana Steelers! 

# An excellent ankle hold by the Haryana Steelers defence followed by a successful raid by Selvamani as the scoreline reads 15-8 in favour of the Steelers! 

# The clash has heated up in the last four minutes as the Haryana Steelers take control of the clash following an excellent all-out by raider Naveen. Haryana Steelers 11-6 Puneri Paltan

# The Puneri Paltan continue to lead 3-2 over the Haryana Steelers as Amit Kumar completes a successful raid for the Paltan with 14 minutes left for the end of the first half! 

# The Puneri Paltan lead 2-1 against the Haryana Steelers with the Steelers opening their account following a successful raid by Amit Kumar. The former have been tight in defence early on foiling early raids by the opposition raiders! 

# Players from both sides are set for the clash! 

# The Puneri Paltan, on the other hand, will field the following playing seven! 

आपले #Bhaari7.
Here's the #BhaariPaltan that will start our kabaddi campaign this season!
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.#PUNvHAR #BhaariPaltan #puneripaltan #gheuntak #pune #VIVOProKabaddi #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/EvRUQppQGK — Puneri Paltan (@PuneriPaltan) July 22, 2019

# Here is the Haryana Steelers playing seven for the clash! 

ये सात करेंगे मैट पर कमाल! 

Here is our starting seven for the night! #DhaakadBoys #ShaanSeSteelers #HaryanaSteelers #PUNvHAR pic.twitter.com/F101aapDD8 — Haryana Steelers (@HaryanaSteelers) July 22, 2019

The Puneri Paltan are set to take on the Haryana Steelers in the sixth clash of the Pro Kabaddi League 2019 in the second match of the double-header on Monday at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad.

While the former will be led by Surjeet Singh, Dharamaraj Cheralathan will be the captain of the Haryana Steelers. Both the players are extremely experienced defenders and will be looking to lead their side on to a winning start in their first match of the season. 

The Puneri Paltan raiding unit comprises of Darshan Kadian, Pawan Kadian and emerging youngster Manjeet. Team India international Nitin Tomar who was relegated to the sidelines in the previous edition of the tournament following an injury will be back in action for the franchise. 

Tomar will be expected to guide the raiding unit and lead them on to strong performances. The defence seems strong at the same time following the addition of cover defender Jadhav Balasaheb Shahaji who is capable of slotting into the left cover position signed for a big sum. 

Right cover Surjeet Singh and left corner defender Girish Maruti Ernak are further more than capable of making their presence felt. 

The Haryana Steelers also enjoy a strong raiding unit in veteran raider Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vikash Kandola who was the top raider for the franchise in the previous edition of the tournament. 

The Steelers have opted to retain left corner Kuldeep Singh in defence and will be expected to keep the opposition raiders at bay alongside Dharmaraj Charalathan and all-rounder Naveen Kumar. 

There will be another interesting contest on the cards as Ravi Kumar faces off against his old franchise Puneri Paltan having delivered excellent performances for the Paltan last season. A quality show by Kumar could very well decide the fate of the match.