Published 15:08 IST, October 1st 2019
PKL 2019: Haryana Steelers' road to playoffs, performance and results
PKL Season 7 will begin with their playoffs on October 14. Haryana Steelers were the third team to qualify after Bengal and Delhi. Let us look at their journey.
The 2019 PKL season, which began in July this year, will end on October 19. After the league stages, which will continue till October 11, top six teams will advance to the PKL playoffs. As per the current PKL points table, Dabang Delhi KC, Bengal Warriors and Haryana Steelers have already qualified for the playoffs. Haryana Steelers, ranked third with 65 points, were the third team to qualify.
PKL 2019: A stellar season by Haryana Steelers so far
Coached by the veteran Rakesh Kumar, Haryana Steelers have flourished this PKL season. In contrast to season 6, their number of wins have doubled. Their win against Gujarat Fortunegiants (38-37) secured them a spot in the PKL playoffs. Looking back at their performance this season, Haryana have had more hits than misses. Despite suffering defeats early on against Dabang Delhi KC and Jaipur Pink Panthers, the team bounced right back without losing their spirit. Dharmaraj Anna Cheralathan's captaincy coupled with Rakesh Kumar's coaching, Haryana Steelers have a well-balanced team.
Vikash Kandola, with 153 raid points, is their best performer. He scored a Super 10 in their match against Gujarat. In defence, their right corner defender Sunil has a total of 47 raid points. Both these players, along with Cheralathan, Naveen, Prashanth Kumar and Vikas Chillar, have performed consistently throughout the season. Their biggest win was their match against Dabang Delhi KC. They defeated Delhi by a wide margin of 22 points (47-25).
Haryana Steelers still have three more games to go before the PKL playoffs. They will be facing Bengaluru Bulls, Telugu Titans and U Mumba. After the remaining teams qualify, we will find out who will Haryana face in the playoffs.
Updated 13:53 IST, October 2nd 2019