The U.P. Yoddha took on the Tamil Thalaivas in a high-profile clash in ‘Match 104’ of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 at Sheraton Grand, Bengaluru.
Both the teams have been fighting to make a place in the playoffs, and with a win over their opponents tonight, the Yoddha’s have moved one step ahead in their quest for their first-ever Pro Kabaddi title. Surinder Gill was stunning for the winning side, but the story of the night was Pardeep Narwal, as the most successful raider in the history of the league found his mojo back and scored a Super 10 against the Thalaivas.
Surinder and Pardeep were the biggest threat against the South-Indian side as the raiding duo never gave their opponents the time to settle onto the mat and racked up a total of 23 points for their side. The two were supported by Sumit in the defense as the defender seemed unstoppable and picked up a High 5 to his name. Other than these three, most of the players from the Uttar Pradesh-based franchise failed to leave an impact on the game and mostly relied on their raiders to score during the majority of the game.
On the other hand, the Tamil Thalaivas will surely be disappointed with how the night turned out for their side. A win over their opponents could have seen them climb to the fifth spot on the points table overtaking the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Manjeet was once again electric for the team as the young strike raider scored twelve points to his name. Ajinkya Pawar had a decent outing tonight as the raider picked up seven points for his side before being subbed off the game. Himanshu was the new face in the raiding unit tonight as the young raider impressed with his performance scoring eight points for his side.
Thalaivas who are known for their defensive unit struggled to pick up points in comparison to their opponents. Sagar was the best defender for his side and had three points against his name. The team however severely missed Surjeet Singh who has been a rock in the defense for the team and was benched by the team management due to fatigue.
Pardeep Narwal in action as the star raider tries to get a touchpoint against the Thalaivas
The game started off with a slow start as raiders from both sides tried to outscore each other but defenders had a firm grasp over them in the first five minutes of the game and did not allow them to score to their desires.
Pardeep broke the deadlock as the raider picked up a super raid in the first ten minutes of the game to open the point tally for himself. Surinder however changed the complexity of the game as the raider picked up three technical points forcing the South Indian side on the verge of an all-out.
Himanshu and Sagar tried to keep their team in the game with a super tackle on Surinder evening the odds, tying the scoreline. However, UP used the momentum in their favor and inflicted the first all-out of the game upon their opponents with just five minutes left in the first half to establish a two point lead over their opponents.
The South Indian franchise did not allow the all-out to hamper their attack as Manjeet and Himanshu scored points for their side in quick succession establishing a two-point lead over their opponents heading into the second half of the game.
The Uttar Pradesh-based franchise seemed strong with two minutes remaining in the first half, but a Super raid from Himanshu turned the tides in favor of the Thalaivas as both teams settled on 20-22 at the end of the first half.
UP bounced back strong in the second half as they completely reversed the game with a Super tackle from Sumit followed by a multipoint raid from Surinder to put Thalaivas on the verge of their second all-out with just five minutes into the second half. Pardeep completed his fifth Super 10 of the season with a touchpoint on the left corner in a two-man defense. Ajinkya was the last man standing for his side but was unable to score a revival resulting in the second consecutive all out on his side with thirteen minutes remaining in the game.
The Thalaivas tried to make a comeback into the game as Manjeet picked up back-to-back raid points for his side but a multipoint raid from Surinder ensured that the Yoddha’s remained in the lead. The South Indian side tried their best to somehow make their way back into the game with consecutive tackle points on the raiders but the Uttar Pradesh-based side persevered and picked up the win at the end of the final whistle ousting their opponents by two points.