Consistency leads to success. Ask Puneri Paltan, who won 19/24 matches to lift the Pro Kabaddi League [PKL 10] title on Friday. In a hotly-contested final against Haryana Steelers, Puneri Paltan authoritatively confirmed their status as the best PKL team of all time, snatching a 28-25 triumph.
However, it wasn't until the 18th minute that Puneri Paltan even had a lead to hold on to. Both sides got off to cagey starts and the men in orange just about led by two points. And then came a 12-second sequence that would change the game.
Pankaj Mohite runs from the right to the left of the mat, fakes a kick to tease Jaideep Dahiya into making a tackle. Jaideep bites the bait and leaps ahead in a desperate attempt to stop Pankaj with a double thigh hold. Such was Pankaj's momentum that by the time Jaideep grabbed his left leg, the Puneri Paltan raider was one full stretch away from the midline.
But it wasn't that easy. Things got tricky because, from the corner of his eye, Pankaj had seen that support was coming in for Jaideep. He needed to get out of this quickly, and effectively. He thrust himself forward using his elbow but before he could cross the line, Mohit, Rahul Sethpal and Vinay were onto him.
The three muscular men put their combined bodyweight of 200+ kgs on Pankaj, who was still dealing with Jaideep grappling his feet. While the four-man defence took care of Pankaj's body, they paid no heed to his dangling hand. His left hand, sporting a bicep with bulging veins, lingered in the air before swiping past the white line and the rest was history.
First times are always special ❤
Puneri Paltan celebrate clinching their maiden #PKL ��#ProKabaddi #ProKabaddiSeason10 #PKLFinal #PKL10 #PKLSeason10 #PKLFinal #HarSaansMeinKabaddi #PUNvHS #PuneriPaltan #HaryanaSteelers pic.twitter.com/LK0jmVKdOl
- ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) March 1, 2024
The Puneri Paltan bench rejoiced and the Haryana Steelers looked on in disbelief. They simply could not believe it. Manpreet Singh, Haryana Steelers' coach, could not believe that the PKL title was about to slip away for a third time. The Haryana Steelers asked for a review and contested that he had only two points, but all the review did was give everyone another chance to marvel at this jaw-dropping raid.
It was the kind of raid that could change the course of a match, let alone a final. It was the kind of raid that will be remembered for ages, one that would go on to lead Puneri Paltan to their first PKL title.
It led to four humongous points for Puneri Paltan and more than half of the Haryana Steelers squad woefully trudged off the mat. And how did Pankaj celebrate it? Well, he did not. He simply walked back to his side of the mat to hugs from his teammates. And that tells you how this team plays their kabaddi: there's no individual greed or milestone-hunting. Each of them plays for the orange on their jerseys. For the team and by the team.
It's also what Mohammadreza Shadloui, Puneri Paltan's superhuman left corner said before the game. He finishes PKL 10 with 99 tackle points, one short of the century mark and two short of a record for most tackle points in a season. "I am not thinking about 100 tackle points. I am thinking first about winning the trophy. If I break the record, then I'll be happy. If not [it's okay], I don't care about records."
Roughly an hour after his game-changing raid, Pankaj was hoisted by his teammates as Puneri Paltan were declared the champions. Captain Aslam Inamdar was sat atop a dhol and coach BC Ramesh was also hoisted as the players danced to the beats of the drums. They finally had a chance to dance, after making opponents dance to their tunes all season long.