PKL 2019 | 5Ws and 1H – Haryana Steelers
Haryana is the hub of Kabaddi in India and perhaps the most number of PKL players come from this North Indian state. However, the Haryana Steelers came into the league late in the year 2017 and have also managed to make it to the playoffs in their maiden appearance in the tournament.
How they performed last season?
After making a great start in the Pro Kabaddi League in their maiden season in 2017, the JSW-owned side was not able to leave a mark in the previous season. The Rambir Singh Khokhar-coached team was deprived of the services of one of the finest left-corner defenders Surender Nada from the first game, which turned out to be a big jolt for them. Monu Goyat then took over the captaincy of the team and the pressure of leading the team had a negative impact on the star raider. Haryana ended at the bottom of the Zone A points table with 42 points from 22 games. The team, which played their home games in Sonepat, managed only six wins in the entire three-month long league.
Who are the star players for the Steelers?
With Goyat’s poor form in the last season for the Steelers, it was young Vikash Khandola who stepped up and put in a good show in the raiding department. The team has let go of Goyat and retained Khandola for the seventh edition of the league. After collecting 172 points from 22 games in his maiden season, Khandola might well be their go-to man this time. They will also have the services of Prashanth Kumar Rai, who played for UP Yoddha last year and secured 144 raid points in 21 outings. Another player to watch out for will be the ageless warrior at the right corner, Dharmaraj Cheralathan.
Haryana Steelers Squad:
Kuldeep Singh, Vikash Khandola, Vinay, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Vikas Kale, Naveen, Ravi Kumar, K Selvamani, Amir Mohammad Maleki, Tim Phonchoo, Vikram Khandola, Subhash Narwal
SportsCafe’s starting 7:
Centre – Vikash Khandola
Left in – Prashanth Kumar Rai
Right in – K Selvamani
Left corner – Kuldeep Singh
Right corner – Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Left cover – Parveen
Right cover – Vikas Kale
What is their strength?
After deciding to leave Goyat for the seventh season, the Steelers went ahead to rope in Prashanth Rai and K Selvamani at the auctions for Rs 77 lakh and 16.5 lakh respectively. The addition of these two raiders alongwith Khandola has made the team’s rading unit really sorted for the season. Selvamani had a decent outing for the Jaipur side while Rai was the third raider with UP and performed well last year.
The services of former Indian legend Rakesh Kumar will be of great help for the team as well as. Rakesh replaced Khokhar at the helm of the team and has got the experience of playing in the league as well. Being a part of the commentary team, Rakesh must have observed the performances of most of the players in the last edition of the league.
Where can they fall behind from other teams?
Although the Steelers have a good raiding unit, when it comes to the defence, they fall behind on many aspects. Haryana had decided to retain Kuldeep Singh for the seventh season but his performance last year was not impressive apart from the first couple of games. The team doesn’t have a big name in the defence apart from Cherala who will guide the right corner.
On the other hand, it will not be right to expect a lot from Cherala who is 43-year-old. Although his experience will come in handy, it remains to be seen how he keeps himself fit for the three-month long season. He was picked up by the Steelers for a whopping amount of Rs 38.5 lack but will he make justice to the hefty amount of money that was spent on him by the management during the auctions in April.
Why one should support Haryana Steelers?
Haryana is known for the sport of kabaddi and has produced many such kabaddi legends who have brought laurels for the country. There is a lot of excitement among the general public about the sport and the team also enjoys a lot of support from the people of the state. Although the team doesn’t have a star attraction with them this season but that will not deter the spirits of the kabaddi-loving crowd of Haryana to support their own team during the home leg at the stands and in front of the TV sets during the away matches.
When they will play their games?
Haryana Steelers will start their campaign this year against Puneri Paltan on July 22 in Hyderabad. The first home game of the Steelers will be played at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, Panchkula on September 28 against UP Yoddha. Their next three games at home will be played against Gujarat Fortunegiants, Bengaluru Bulls, and Telugu Titans on September 29, October 2 and October 4.
Schedule:
22 July vs Puneri Paltan in Hyderabad
28 July vs Dabang Delhi in Mumbai
31 July vs Jaipur Pink Panthers in Mumbai
4 August vs Tamil Thalaivas in Patna
7 August vs Patna Pirates in Patna
11 August vs Bengaluru Bulls in Ahmedabad
14 August vs UP Yoddha in Ahmedabad
18 August vs Telugu Titans in Chennai
19 August vs U Mumba in Chennai
26 August vs Bengal Warriors in Delhi
28 August vs Gujarat Fortunegiants in Delhi
2 September vs Puneri Paltan in Bengaluru
7 September vs Dabang Delhi in Kolkata
11 September vs Jaipur Pink Panthers in Kolkata
14 September vs Tamil Thalaivas in Pune
19 September vs Bengal Warriors in Pune
23 September vs Patna Pirates in Jaipur
28 September vs UP Yoddha in Panchkula
29 September vs Gujarat Fortunegiants in Panchkula
2 October vs Bengaluru Bulls in Panchkula
4 October vs Telugu Titans in Panchkula
10 October vs U Mumba in Greater Noida
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