The Haryana Steelers emerged victorious in a high-stakes thriller on Monday, edging out the Gujarat Titans 33-32 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. Manjeet was the undisputed hero for the Steelers, racking up 14 raid points to lead his team back to victory in the 9th season of the Pro Kabaddi League. Although the Gujarat Giants struggled, Chandran Ranjit and Rakesh Sungroya put up a strong fight, scoring 8 and 7 points respectively and keeping the game undecided until the very end.
The game opened with a quick raid point for the Giants, courtesy of Ranjit. Manjeet quickly shifted the momentum, scoring two points in his first outing and knocking out both Kapil and the 'dubki king' Pardeep Kumar. A subsequent point against Arkam Shaikh gave Haryana an early advantage. Gujarat fought back to make it 3-4 after Rinku Narwal pulled off a Super tackle on Manjeet. However, the tide turned again when Manjeet overcame Rinku, resulting in an ALL-OUT that put the Steelers comfortably ahead 10-5 early on.
Rakesh and Ranjit spearheaded a Gujarat rally with two Super Raids, narrowing the lead to a mere two points. Manjeet, however, responded with his second Super Raid of the night, firmly re-establishing Haryana's dominance. Just before the half, Manjeet secured a crucial touchpoint during a do-or-die raid to complete his Super 10, sending the Steelers into the break with a 21-16 lead.
Manjeet opened the second half with another point to maintain the Steelers' grip on the game. But the Giants fought back; Mahendra Rajput landed a Super Raid—aided by a successful review—to bring the score to 18-22. Gujarat's tenacity grew as Rinku managed to tackle Manjeet. The momentum shifted completely when Rakesh scored another Super Raid, triggering an All-Out for the Steelers and giving the Giants their first lead of the match.
To level the score, Manjeet took out Manuj, and shortly after, Jaideep and Joginder combined to eliminate Mahendra, putting Haryana back in front. The tension peaked when Kapil smartly tackled Manjeet, leaving the scores tied once again. In the final minute, Jaideep secured a vital tackle point against Mahendra to give Haryana the edge. The Steelers remained composed in the closing seconds to seal a dramatic victory.