New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS): UP Yoddhas are aiming for their consecutive win to conclude the Delhi Leg when they take the mat against Tamil Thalaivas in Match 108 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 10 on Tuesday at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium.
The Yoddhas, the GMR Group-owned franchise, made a remarkable comeback in their previous match, securing a whopping 39-23 victory against U Mumba on Saturday. On the other hand, Tamil Thalaivas went down 30-42 against Gujarat Giants in their previous game.
Currently, the Yoddhas are in 11th place in the league standings with 28 points and a score difference of -47, while the Thalaivas are positioned just one place above them in the table with 40 points and a score difference of 17. Statistically, both teams have faced each other on 14 occasions in the history of PKL, with the Yoddhas emerging victorious five times, while three games ended in a tie.
Speaking before the match, UP Yoddhas' head coach Jasvir Singh said, "Winning our previous game has significantly boosted the team's confidence. All our players are charged up and ready to give their best in the last stage of this tournament. We have a fairly simple target ahead – to win all our remaining matches and secure our playoff berth. I would like to express my gratitude to our management and our loyal fans for maintaining constant faith in us and supporting us in difficult times”.
Young raiders like Gagana Gowda (37 raid points) and Anil Kumar (22 raid points) have stepped up to fill the absence of ace raider Surender Gill, who got injured in the initial phase of the season, providing cover and support to star raider and captain Pardeep Narwal. Also known as the Dubki King, Pardeep Narwal features in the top 10 lists of most raid points and most successful raids in the tournament, amassing 122 raid points in 99 successful raids.
Left-Corner Sumit has been the highlight for the Yoddhas’ defense, picking up 58 tackle points so far and featuring in the top 5 of most tackle points in the tournament. Along with him, right corner Nitesh Kumar and cover Gurdeep have performed well throughout, picking up 32 and 25 tackle points respectively.
For the Thalaivas, the raiding duo of Narender and Ajinkya Pawar have been in song, as both the raiders feature in the top-10 list of most raid points in the tournament, picking up 141 and 120 raid points respectively. Their star defender Sagar, who currently sits on the top of the list of most tackle points in the tournament with 61 tackle points will lead the defense for the Thalaivas in the upcoming match.