2018 Kabaddi Federations Cup, Final: Services vs Karnataka, 5 Talking Points

Amidst glaring light and a vociferous crowd at Maharashtra, Services overcame a stiff challenge from Karnataka to lift the 2018 Kabaddi Federations Cup. Boasting of the likes of Nitin Tomar, Surjeet Singh, Monu Goyat amongst others, the Services squad evaded a final flourish from Karnataka to win the tournament.

With this year's victory, Services created a unique record of being the first team to clinch a hat-trick of Federation Cup victories, having won the previous two editions as well.

Patna Pirates' star raider Monu Goyat was the wreaker in chief for Services on this occasion as well, going one up over opposition raider Sukesh Hegde to steal the honours for the day. Here are five talking points from the finals.

Services' strong start

Having beaten a strong Haryana setup in the semifinals, Services came into the finals with a lot riding on the shoulders of skipper Surjeet Singh and the defensive unit to keep the likes of Sukesh Hegde and Shabeer Bapu at bay.

An early 2-0 lead within the first minute was enough to set the tone for Services as the lead soon blossomed to a massive 5-1 advantage with the defensive unit working in cohesion to stop the Karnataka raiders on their tracks.

The pressure of the big deficit was reflected by the Karnataka men as it required an intervention from veteran Jeeva Kumar to keep his men from creating a scene on the mat that followed a quick all-out on Karnataka with the score reading 11-2.

With just a minute to go for half-time, Services led Karnataka 14-5 and at the stroke of half-time, Services enjoyed a sizeable 15-9 win that translated to a win in the end.

Sukesh Hegde's flair comes to the fore

Sukesh Hegde's efforts brought Karnataka back into the game. (Representational)

After an impressive outing in the semifinals of the competition, the onus was undoubtedly on the experienced shoulders of Sukesh Hegde to take the team forward in the finals against a strong Services side.

While the skipper of the Gujarat Fortunegiants in the PKL did not have the best of starts, he made up for the rather poor beginning by making some agile raids in the last few minutes of the first half.

At a time when Services were running away with the game, Sukesh Hegde produced a touch point that reduced Services to three men on the mat and soon enough, another successful raid inflicted the first all-out on Services that reduced the lead to just six points at the stroke of half-time.

Karnataka's resurgence

Shabeer Bapu played a crucial part in the Karnataka comeback. (Representational)

As Nitin Tomar scampered back into his own half to loud cheers from the crowd following a super raid, it seemed as if Karnataka had given up. The lead had swelled to 8-1 and the match was slowly slipping out of Karnataka's grasp.

However, Sukesh Hegde had other ideas. Four points in a matter of just minutes reduced the huge 14-5 lead to just 15-9 at half-time which also proved to be a much-needed break for Karnataka.

Post the break, they seemed a livelier bunch, with an extra spring in their step. A sense of complacency hit Services as the score-line soon read 16-13. Sukesh Hegde continued his good form and collected two more points before a strong tackle on Monu Goyat saw Karnataka level scores with just over ten minutes to go in the game.

Patience - The order of the day

Surjeet Singh marshalled the Services defence well. (Representational)

For two teams boasting of some quality raiders with a lot of experience from the Pro Kabaddi League, it was surprising to see both teams opting for a reserved strategy than going for the kill at any point of the game.

Not only the raiding department, the defensive units decided to step back as well, which made the job of opposition raiders that much tougher. At the end of the first half, the score-line read 15-9 in favour of Services and if the first half was a demonstration of the calm approach opted by both teams, the second half had more to offer.

Once the scores were equalised, the teams were happy to play on the do or die strategy and took the backseat which came down to an interesting final few minutes.

A nail-biting finish!

Monu Goyat produced a hand touch at a crucial moment. (Representational)

As the score-line read 18 apiece, and the match was moving towards the final few minutes, seeds of doubts were planted in the minds of both the teams' players, instigating a question of whether to go for the kill or stick to the same strategy.

Soon enough, the Services raiders executed the art of picking up bonus points with perfect precision, picking three in a row to take a 21-18 lead. However, a show of strength from Sukesh Hegde took the score to 22-22. That was followed by a Monu Goyat special to level at 23-23.

In the dying moments of the game, Monu Goyat, who starred for the Patna Pirates in PKL Season 5 and the Services in the Senior Kabaddi National Championships took up the responsibility and fetched an important point for his team with a clever touch that helped Services take a 25-24 lead.

A failed Do or Die raid from Shabeer Bapu was witnessed prior to the buzzer raid from Services, that saw Karnataka's defenders succumbing to the pressure, and in turn, gift a thrilling 28-25 win to Services.