Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five talking points from Day 37 of PKL 5

What's better than a tie game in kabaddi? Two. On the same night.

Four teams took to the mat on the opening day in Sonepat and none emerged victorious as we got to witness two ties on the night. The Haryana Steelers, playing in front of a raucous home crowd couldn't keep Pardeep Narwal and his Patna Pirates down long enough and two teams that have struggled in recent times - the Gujarat Fortunegiants and the UP Yoddha then followed suit with a tie of their own.

What a start to the Haryana leg!

#1 When you have a plan and you are committed to it, it can work wonders

Pardeep Narwal is not your average raider. He is not even your average elite raider. He possesses a skill set and a keen sense of awareness that makes him one of the most dangerous men to contain on the mat. Despite all that though, it doesn't hurt to have a plan.

The Haryana Steelers had one for Pardeep here tonight - don't let him settle and pounce before 10 seconds of the raid clock are up. Pardeep's normal raiding pattern sees him enter enemy territory, plant himself on the left corner and then go to work with his sudden movements. The Steelers never let him get established on that left corner, not allowing him a firm base from which to operate. Mohit Chhillar was outstanding on the night, springing to snap up Pardeep at any given opportunity like a hungry crocodile.

The strategy worked wonders as Pardeep, coming off a 21-point outing in his previous game, had just one point to show at the end of the first half, that too a Bonus Point. It was a superlative defensive showing from the home side as they came prepared for Pardeep and stayed committed to it.

With Surjeet Narwal and Wazir Singh masterful in the raid department, the Steelers left the Pirates looking for answers as their impressive all-round showing powered them to a 20-12 half-time lead with the Pirates once again down to just two men and on the brink of a second All Out.

#2 And yet... this match ended in a tie

Pardeep Narwal was kept quiet in the first, but bounced back brilliantly

The reason Pardeep Narwal is such a sensational raider is not just down to the ease with which he can seemingly rack up points. A lot of it also has to do with how he responds to adversity. Even when teams come prepared for him, he's always thinking how to counter their approach as the match goes on which is a key reason behind his ability to come back strongly in the second half.

Against the Puneri Paltan earlier this season, Zia Ur Rehman was used a blocking machine against Pardeep that helped the Paltan establish a huge first half lead. He was made to look very ordinary in the first half there and yet he came back to finish with 19 points after having scored just three in the first.

He did it again today!

After just the one Bonus Point to show for his efforts in the first period, Pardeep along with his raiding partner Monu Goyat brought the Pirates storming back in this game. Knowing that the Steelers were not allowing him to plant himself in his favourite left corner, he started to move around the mat a lot more, keeping the Haryana defence on its toes. He started targeting their central defence more and began going for Bonus Points making sure the points kept coming even if he couldn't get a touch point.

After picking up his first touch point only in the sixth minute of the second half, the star raider ended up with 13 points. His Super Raid in the 11th minute of the second provided a jolt for his side bringing the score to 21-32 and deficit down to nine. The Pirates went on a 12-1 run in five minutes to eat into the lead and soon found themselves inflicting an All Out on the Steelers.

All in all, it was a 22-6 run in the final 10 minutes that helped them take the lead at one point.

Not to leave out Monu Goyat in this one as he quietly racked up 11 points to support his captain. You cannot write this Pirates side off even when it looks like their opponents have their number. That's whats made them two-time champions and a favourite for this year again.

#3 Sukesh and Chandran prop up Gujarat

Newcomer Chandran Ranjith had a good showing for the Fortunegiants

Form has not travelled for the Gujarat Fortunegiants. Ever since leaving the comforts of home, they have been in a rut and had lost two straight coming into tonight's game. The 18-year-old Sachin, their best raider so far, has dropped far below his lofty heights from the early days of the season and that has been one of the reasons for Gujarat's drop off. Rohit Gulia has also seen a dry spell.

Rohit did not start today but Sachin did. He didn't last very long though as coach Manpreet Singh opted to take him out and drop him on the bench with just 10 minutes gone, replacing him with Mahendra Rajput after Sachin's ineffective showing from his four raids. Captain Sukesh Hegde and newcomer Chandran Ranjith though propped up their sagging spirits as they combined for nine raid points, scoring five and four respectively.

It was a timely contribution as the team needed them to step up. Ranjith, a left-handed raider, made a particularly fine impression. Based on this showing, he might get more game time going forward.

#4 Number 10 follows number 9

Sukesh and Jeeva both stepped up for their respective sides

This fifth season of Pro Kabaddi has seen an enormous number of games go down to the wire with a handful finishing in a tie. The ninth tie of the season came in the first match of the evening as the home side, Haryana Steelers, drew with the Patna Pirates.

Number 10 followed soon after, marking the first time in the history of the competition that there were two ties on the same night.

The Fortunegiants and UP Yoddha traded blows all night in a low-scoring affair that ebbed and flowed throughout. No team could quite establish a big lead in this one. The Yoddha were the brighter of the two though in the first as Jeeva's defence and Rishank and Nitin in the raiding department led them to a 17-13 lead.

Sukesh's late raid though brought Gujarat close and they effected an All Out just as the first half came to an end to make it a 2-point game.

Gujarat continued that momentum in the second and Pawan Kumar's spectacular frog jump with two men left for the Yoddha helped them effect a second All Out on the Yoddha to take a 25-22 lead with 9:47 left on the clock.

The game came to a head in the closing stages as Nitin Tomar's Super Raid brought his side level at 28-28. He was initially granted two points, but upon the use of their review, the TV umpire noticed a faint touch on the dangling hand of Sukesh Hegde that meant it was a three-point raid.

But it was another involving Nitin Tomar though that brought the Fortunegiants back. Down to just three, Gujarat played on the Super Raid and forced a Do or Die raid in the final minute which also provided a Super Tackle opportunity. Abozar Mighani snapped up Nitin instantly to give his side 2-points and with Mahendra Rajput getting tackled on the next Do or Die raid himself, it meant the game ended in a 30-30 tie.

A slow burn that ended in a nervy finish. Phew!

#5 The Steelers-Pirates game is a candidate for match of the season

Wazir Singh continued his impressive recent run for the Steelers

This game had so many strong performances.

Pardeep Narwal and Monu Goyat both had Super 10s - Pardeep finishing with 13 points and Monu 11. Wazir Singh continued his brilliant run. Confidence surging through him, Wazir had a Super 10 of his own after having picked up over 25 points in the last three games. He also had 2 tackle points. Mohit Chhillar was phenomenal in the right corner with a High 5 on defence. He only scored five points but had a 65% success rate with his tackles, five of his eight tackles proving fatal for the raider.

We have seen games end in a tie thanks to costly errors from teams in the past. This wasn't the case here though; these two teams fought tooth and nail right to the end and it was a proper contest that saw exemplary kabaddi on display. That's why this contest was an eagerly anticipated one as it pitted one of the best defences in the league against an explosive raiding combination that is also no mug when it comes to defending.

And the contest delivered spectacularly on its promise.