Noida, Nov 22 (IANS): The UP Yoddhas left the home fans grinning after they secured a very impressive 40-24 victory over the Tamil Thalaivas in Match 69 in Season 11 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Noida Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
It was a Super 10 from Bhavani Rajput that left the spectators on the edge of their seats, but he was ably supported by his teammates in what was a complete performance from the team. For the Tamil Thalaivas, young Nitesh Kumar was a bright spark with a High 5 to his name. A strategic approach from both teams defined the first half of the match as the UP Yoddhas and the Tamil Thalaivas’ raiders took the game to the Do-Or-Die raid.
In the 10th minute, however, the tide shifted when Vishal Chahal executed a successful raid, eliminating Sumit from the opposition. This breakthrough set the tone for a more aggressive phase of the half.
UP Yoddhas initially rode on the raiding prowess of Bharat – who got Anuj Gawade off the mat – as the side began to take an early lead over the Tamil Thalaivas but not for long. Around the 17-minute mark, the intensity peaked with successive successful raids as Sachin eliminated Bhavani Rajput, while Bharat took out Amir Hossein Bastami, and an equally fought clash finished 13-13 in the first half.
It was in the second half that the UP Yoddhas upped the ante with the win on their minds. Two minutes into the second half, they inflicted the All Out on the Tamil Thalaivas. This was the start of an impressive period of play for the home team, as Bhavani Rajput in raid, and Hitesh in defence, took the game to their opponents.
An unsuccessful raid by Sachin Tanwar brought up a well-earned High 5 for Hitesh. This gave the UP Yoddhas side incentive to push for another All Out on the Tamil Thalaivas, which was eventually inflicted after an excellent raid by Bhavani to get Abhishek M. and Nitesh Kumar. Having taken a substantial lead, the onus was on the home side to close out the game. Bhavani completed his Super 10 with another two-point raid, as they closed out a much-needed victory by a massive difference of 16 points.