The Haryana Steelers produced a brilliant effort to beat the Jaipur Pink Panthers 31-27 and seal their spot in the PKL Season 10 finals at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex on Wednesday night. The Steelers’ first final was the result of an outstanding team effort, with raiding duo Vinay and Shivam Patare shining brightly on an emotional evening. The Steelers will battle Puneri Paltan in the summit clash on March 1, hoping to win their first PKL title.

The tense aspect of the clash meant that neither team committed too much forward or took too many risks, resulting in a low-scoring yet entertaining game. Arjun Deshwal and Vinay traded raids continuously, and with both defenses firing, there appeared to be nothing to choose between the two sides in the first session.

The difference was in the array of options the Steelers provided during their raids. Arjun Deshwal has scored the majority of Jaipur’s raid points this season, accounting for exactly 80% of them in the first half of the game. Without him, the Pink Panthers appeared confused, so the Steelers began targeting the lead man. They quickly inflicted the first All-out of the game, taking a 13-7 lead, and kept chugging away, with Vinay and Patare’s combined attack providing no respite for the Pink Panthers. The Steelers had a 6-point lead at halftime.

The Pink Panthers responded in the second half, helped by Arjun Deshwal’s ability to continue bringing back points from his raids. Their weak point, however, was a defense that was unable to prevent the Steelers raiders from doing the same. During the first half hour of the game, the Pink Panthers’ defense managed only three tackle points.

Just when it seemed like they had momentum on their side though the Steelers raiders hit back and streaked into a six-point lead. With Arjun Deshwal off the mat, the Pink Panthers looked out of sorts, and Vinay’s Do-or-Die raid to eliminate Bhavani Rajput and Sunil Kumar set them up for another all-out. Reza Mirbagheri’s Super Tackle not only stopped the All-out but also got the Pink Panthers within four points with three minutes remaining.

In crunch time, the Steelers held their composure, and Ashish’s tackle on Deshwal with one minute remaining practically sealed the victory. They ran down the clock, sparking boisterous celebrations on their bench, and advanced to the finals for the first time in league history.