PKL: Bengaluru Bulls secure 40-33 win over defending champions Haryana Steelers

Vizag (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 8 (ANI): Bengaluru Bulls etched a stunning 40-33 win against Haryana Steelers after riding on a brilliant show from Alireza Mirzaian, who scored his second straight Super 10, and a strong defensive performance from Deepak Sankar and skipper Yogesh at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Monday.

Shivam Patare opened the scoring for the Steelers with a successful raid, but the Bulls quickly turned it around as Alireza struck quickly. Within the first five minutes, the Bulls piled on the pressure and inflicted an 'ALL OUT', racing to a 9-2 lead -- the quickest ALL OUT of the season so far, at 4:20 minutes, as per a PKL press release.

The Steelers managed to steady themselves through Mayank Saini, who produced a Super Raid to cut the deficit. At that stage, Saini was carrying most of the load, scoring 6 of the team's first eight points. Despite his effort, the Bulls maintained control, holding a 13-8 lead at the first Time Out.

After the restart, the Bulls extended their advantage with a strong defensive effort, executing a Super Tackle to add two more points. However, the Steelers responded well, forcing an 'ALL OUT' to close the gap to 15-13.

The Steelers faced a tough challenge as they tried to keep pace with the Bengaluru Bulls, who maintained their edge through the first half. At the break, the Bulls went into halftime with a slender 21-18 lead.

The Bulls began the second half strongly, with Aashish Malik securing a raid point followed by a sharp tackle from Yogesh that extended their lead to 23-18. The Bulls looked in control, but the Haryana Steelers found a way back through Jaya Soorya. His Super Raid earned crucial points and reduced the gap to 24-21.

The momentum, however, swung back to the Bulls as Alireza led from the front. He pulled off a decisive raid that inflicted an 'ALL OUT', pushing the lead to 29-22. Soon after, he completed his Super 10 with another successful raid, taking the advantage further to 31-23.

On the defensive front, Yogesh stood out with his consistency. His timely tackle added another point, and his High Five, making it 32-24 before the second-half Time Out.

Despite the Steelers' attempts to fight back, Mirzaian continued to score and picked up two more points to make it 34-25. From there, the Bulls held their ground, managing the lead well and closing out the contest with a 40-33 victory. (ANI)

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