PKL Season 12 Match 33 Preview: Gujarat Giants vs Haryana Steelers – Can Giants Stop Haryana’s Raiding Force?

It’s a crucial clash at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur as Gujarat Giants lock horns with Haryana Steelers in Match 33 of PKL 12. Both teams are coming off big losses and will be desperate to bounce back, making this a battle of redemption.

Probable Starting 7

Gujarat Giants
Right Corner – Himanshu
Right In – Parteek Dahiya
Right Cover – Nitin Panwar
Centre – Rakesh
Left Cover – Shubham Kumar
Left In – Aryavardhan Navale
Left Corner – Mohammadreza Shadlou (C)

Haryana Steelers
Right Corner – Rahul Sethpal
Right In – Shivam Patare
Right Cover – Neeraj
Centre – Naveen Kumar
Left Cover – Jaideep (C)
Left In – Mayank Saini
Left Corner – Rahul Ahri

Headlines

➢ Both teams are coming off big defeats in their previous games
➢ Haryana’s Naveen Express is injured, but the support raiders are firing
➢ Haryana defence yet to click despite having big names
➢ The Steelers are strong in comebacks, but collapsed in the second half last match
➢ Gujarat Giants are still searching for a lead raider
➢ Parteek Dahiya showed spark on his return
➢ Nitin Panwar is fighting a lone battle in defence; Shadlou needs to step up

Top Stories of the Match

Haryana’s Raiding Trio Takes on Showstopper Shadlou

• Haryana Steelers have emerged as one of the best raiding sides in PKL 12 despite their lead raider Naveen Kumar’s absence.
• Shivam Patare, Vinay, and Mayank Saini all boast raid SR% above 60 this season.
• Haryana currently average the second-most raid points per match in the league.
• If Naveen finds form again, this could turn Haryana into a title-contending side.
• Gujarat’s captain Mohammadreza Shadlou, meanwhile, is having his slowest start to any PKL season.
• He has struggled in all DIP (defenders in play) situations and is yet to get a single Super Tackle this season.
• However, Shadlou has an excellent record against the Steelers historically and this could be the perfect match to return to form.
• Shadlou recently became just the 3rd all-rounder in PKL history to score 100+ raid points and 300+ tackle points — proof of his calibre despite current struggles.

Team Stories

Gujarat Giants – PKL 12 So Far

M#4 vs U Mumba – 29(6)–29(5) Lost via Tie-Breaker
M#8 vs Puneri Paltan – Lost 19–41
M#18 vs Tamil Thalaivas – Won 37–28
M#24 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – 30(5)–30(5) Lost in Golden Raid (1–0)
M#28 vs Dabang Delhi – Lost 28–38

• Gujarat Giants have endured a poor start, losing 4 of their 5 matches, and sit 11th on the table.
• Two of their defeats were extremely narrow (tie-breaker and golden raid), but their last one was a comprehensive 10-point loss to Dabang Delhi.
• They have struggled on both fronts — raiding and defending — and are yet to find a consistent lead raider.
• Rakesh has been their best raider, while Parteek Dahiya provided a spark in his return against Delhi.
• Nitin Panwar has been their only consistent defender, while big-name signing Shadlou has struggled so far.

Parteek Dahiya Gives Hope in Attack, Nitin Panwar Lone Warrior in Defence

• Gujarat Giants have only one Super 10 in five games so far.
• They average the lowest raid points per match and are the only side with a raid SR below 40% this season.
• Rakesh has been their top contributor with the only Super 10, but even he averages just 7 raid points per match.
• Parteek Dahiya impressed in his return game against Delhi and almost got a Super 10 — the Giants will hope he continues that form.
• Gujarat’s defence has shown flashes of brilliance but lacks consistency, often doing well in one match and faltering in the next.
• Nitin Panwar has been their standout — the only defender to notch a High 5 and averages nearly 3 tackle points per match.
• He has a brilliant tackle SR above 70% — joint best among all defenders with 10+ tackle points in PKL 12 — and is among the league leaders in Super Tackles.

Haryana Steelers – PKL 12 So Far

M#6 vs Bengal Warriorz – Lost 44–54
M#12 vs U Mumba – 36(7)–36(6) Won via Tie-Breaker
M#16 vs UP Yoddhas – Won 37–32
M#21 vs Bengaluru Bulls – Lost 33–40

• Haryana Steelers have had a mixed season, winning 2 and losing 2 so far.
• After a heavy opening loss, they showed great fight to come back and win two close games, overturning second-half deficits.
• However, against Bengaluru Bulls, their second-half struggles resurfaced as they collapsed to a 7-point defeat.
• Their main concern is that star raider Naveen has not fired yet — but Shivam Patare and Mayank Saini have stepped up to make Haryana one of the strongest raiding sides this season.
• Their defence, despite boasting big names, has been the weak link so far.

Rahul Needs to Lead Steelers’ Defence

• Haryana’s defence has been very inconsistent.
• They have won the only two matches where they managed even a 30%+ tackle SR.
• Rahul Sethpal and Rahul Ahri both picked up High 5s in their third match, which helped them to victory.
• But the defence faltered again in the loss to Bengaluru Bulls, managing just 7 tackle points as a team.
• Rahul Sethpal has been one of PKL’s most reliable defenders in recent seasons — 3rd most tackle points and joint 3rd most High 5s since PKL 10.
• He also boasts the best tackle SR among all defenders with 100+ tackle points since PKL 10.
• Rahul dominates super tackle situations and has the most super tackles in the league since PKL 10.
• Haryana’s biggest issue has been the first 10 minutes of the second half, where they have the lowest tackle points and tackle SR of any team this season.

Head-to-Head in PKL

• Overall: Matches – 17 | Gujarat Giants – 4 | Haryana Steelers – 12 | Tied – 1
• Since PKL 9: Matches – 7 | Gujarat Giants – 1 | Haryana Steelers – 6
• Haryana have dominated this rivalry, winning the last 5 meetings, including once in the PKL 11 eliminator.

Key Player Battles

Gujarat Giants’ Raiders vs Haryana Steelers’ Defenders
Rakesh 5 – 2 Jaideep
Rakesh 7 – 1 Rahul Sethpal
Rakesh 3 – 5 Neeraj Kumar
Parteek Dahiya 3 – 5 Neeraj Kumar
Parteek Dahiya 5 – 6 Rahul Sethpal
Parteek Dahiya 3 – 1 Jaideep

Haryana Steelers’ Raiders vs Gujarat Giants’ Defenders
Naveen Kumar 8 – 12 Shadlou
Shivam Patare 2 – 2 Shadlou
Vinay 4 – 5 Shadlou
Vinay 4 – 1 Nitin Panwar

What to Expect

• This is a battle between a struggling Giants side desperate to spark their campaign and a dangerous Haryana outfit seeking consistency.
• Expect Haryana’s young raiders to test Gujarat’s fragile defence, while all eyes will be on Shadlou to finally fire.
• If Gujarat’s defence holds up and Parteek supports Rakesh in attack, they could spring an upset. Otherwise, Haryana’s raiding depth could prove decisive.

Match Details

• Match: Gujarat Giants vs Haryana Steelers – Match 33, PKL Season 12
• Date: Monday, 15th September 2025
• Time: 7:30 PM IST
• Venue: SMS Indoor Stadium, Jaipur
• Live Streaming: Watch live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar. For live scores and updates, visit prokabaddi.com or download the Pro Kabaddi Official App.

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