Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill steered UP Yoddha to a 41-39 win over Tamil Thalaivas in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 8) on Wednesday.
Both the raiders secured Super 10s in a high-scoring game that only decided in the final minute. The result helps UP Yoddha better its chances of making it to the playoffs, while Tamil Thalaivas is ninth.
An evenly-contested opening half saw both teams exchange the lead. Tamil Thalaivas, which missed captain Surjeet Singh, began well as the raiding duo of Ajinkya Pawar and Manjeet found gaps in the Yoddha defence. But Surender and Pardeep clawed their way back and the latter struck a Super Raid in the ninth minute to shift the balance.
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Three Tamil Thalaivas defenders followed Shrikant Jadhav to the lobby without a touch, which gave UP Yoddha another three points. A Super Tackle by Himanshu slowed Yoddha down temporarily but the side eventually inflicted the All Out in the 15th minute. Tamil Thalaivas fought back through Himanshu's three-point Super Raid in the final minute of the first half to end the half with a slender lead at 22-20.
Tamil Thalaivas' defence failed to get going in the second half as Pardeep picked his Super 10 and UP Yoddha clinched another All Out. UP Yoddha still could not extend its lead as it conceded easy bonus points and and Himanshu’s clever raids gave Tamil Thalaivas impetus for another comeback.
Manjeet picked his Super 10 for Tamil Thalaivas but the defence, especially M. Abishek, made too many mistakes to give UP Yoddha a three-point lead with a minute remaining, which was enough for the latter to see out the game.
- Gujarat Giants keeps play-off hopes alive -
Defender Girish Ernak was the star for Gujarat Giants as it defeated Telugu Titans 34-32. The left-corner defender scored a High 5 and was instrumental in giving the Giants a narrow lead in the final minutes of the match.
Telugu Titans struggled in the final five minutes of the match and squandered a three-point lead, as has been the case this season. The win will help Gujarat remain with a chance of making it to the playoffs, while the Titans remain rooted to the bottom. Titans’ Rajnish scored a Super 10 but had to be carried off the mat after suffering an injury early in the second half.
Gujarat Giants went to the mat with raiders Ajay Kumar and Pardeep Kumar on the bench. Telugu Titans had the better start to the match with Rajnish looking in fine form, but Gujarat Giants eventually found its footing with Rakesh and Mahendra Rajput getting the raid points. The side had a chance to clinch an All Out in the 14th minute but Titans’ Galla Raju scored three-point Super Raid to stop the Giants.
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Titans’ Surinder Singh clinched a Super Raid with two minutes to half time and the first half ended with the scores level at 14-14.
Coach Manpreet Singh had clear instructions to play an aggressive line of defence and that helped Gujarat Gants clinch its first All Out five minutes after the break. Left corner Girish was in form for the Giants while at the other end Rakesh picked points in regular intervals. Rajnish picked a Super 10 for the Titans but suffered a knee injury which led to him being substituted with 12 minutes remaining.
Adarsh T’s two point raid (+2 for All Out) cleared all the Gujarat men on the mat and gave Telugu Titans a three-point lead with five minutes on the clock. But Gujarat Giants immediately drew level and Girish made a fine tackle towards the end to ensure his side took all five points.
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