Haryana Steelers achieved first victory in PKL Season 12 over U Mumba
Ajit Chouhan's Super 10 contributed significantly to the match
Naveen Kumar's crucial Super Raid turned the tide for the Steelers
Shivam Patare sealed the win in a nerve-wracking tie-breaker
Haryana Steelers clinched their first Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 victory, overcoming U Mumba in an intense encounter that extended to a tie-breaker, the third across twelve games. This decisive contest unfolded at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
Ajit Chouhan’s Super 10 and Naveen Kumar’s crucial Super Raid proved pivotal, headlining a clash that swung wildly before Shivam Patare’s decisive strike in the tie-breaker sealed the win for the Steelers.
Haryana Steelers' Response To Early Setbacks
U Mumba initiated the match strongly against the defending champions, with Ajit Chouhan opening their scoring through a successful raid. A couple of robust tackles followed, and U Mumba quickly raced to a 5-0 lead. The Steelers faced mounting pressure, conceding an All Out within just over six minutes, which left them trailing by 2-12. This marked the quickest All-Out inflicted on any team in the ongoing edition.
Ajit Chouhan continued to excel, adding vital raid points and ensuring Haryana remained under pressure. However, the defending champions began a comeback, narrowing the deficit to 8-14 by the 10th minute. Shortly after, Shivam tackled Ajit, eliminating U Mumba’s key raider. The Steelers capitalised, inflicting an All Out of their own, which further narrowed the margin to 12-16.
Haryana's Rally Shifts Momentum
Momentum shifted further during the closing stages of the first half. A brilliant raid by Vinay brought the Steelers closer, and a superb tackle on Ajit in the final three minutes made the score 19-20. Vinay then levelled the scores at 20-20 with a successful raid. U Mumba responded promptly, maintaining their composure. They reduced the deficit to a slender three points, concluding the first half with a narrow 23-20 lead.
U Mumba quickly regained control after the break, extending their lead to 24-21 within the first two minutes. A calm finish from Sandeep in a Do-or-Die raid further extended their advantage to 26-21. However, just when it seemed U Mumba might pull away, Naveen Kumar stepped up in the 15th minute with two crucial raid points, narrowing the deficit to 23-26.
Ajit Chouhan soon completed his Super 10, helping U Mumba push ahead again at 31-25 early in the final quarter. But the Steelers had not given up. Naveen continued to lead their charge, reducing the gap to 27-31 in the seventh minute of the half. Then, in the final three minutes, Naveen Kumar executed a remarkable raid, inflicting an All Out and putting Haryana Steelers ahead for the first time in the match.
Haryana Steelers Vs U Mumba: Tie-Breaker Triumph
With the scores tied at 34-34 after U Mumba secured a bonus point, the intensity of the match increased. Shivam Patare gave the Steelers the lead again with a successful raid, but Ajit Chouhan quickly struck back to level things. Naveen then made an error in a crucial raid, which gave the advantage back to U Mumba.
In the dying seconds, Ajit Chouhan went for a Do-or-Die raid, but Steelers caught him, allowing Haryana Steelers to gain a point. This resulted in a 36-36 tie, moving the contest into a tie-breaker.
This was U Mumba’s second tie-breaker of the season and it proved to be a dramatic and unpredictable contest, with both teams exchanging points quickly. U Mumba scored first through Sunil Kumar and Sandeep, while Ajit Chouhan added to his tally with another raid.
The Steelers, however, responded with determination; Jaya Soorya and Vinay contributed crucial points before Shivam Patare created the decisive moment of the contest: a remarkable Super Raid that eliminated Rohit Raghav, Sandeep, and Rinku.
This decisive strike swung momentum firmly towards Haryana, and despite Mumba’s attempts to recover lost ground, the Steelers maintained their composure, edging ahead in the final exchanges to secure a thrilling tie-breaker victory.
