Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League. This is Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan and I will be taking you through today's PKL 8 match between UP Yoddha and Tamil Thalaivas.
Tomorrow's fixtures:
Puneri Paltan vs Gujarat Giants (7.30pm)
Dabang Delhi vs Telugu Titans (8.30pm)
Do join us for the coverage of both those games. Until then, mask up and stay safe.
Second win of the season for a very confident and assured Thalaivas side, however the bigger talking point is an underperforming Pardeep Narwal. If this match and the last few games are to go by, Surender Gill has more than proved that he is up to the task of leading this attack. Should UP go the Pune way and rely on those who are in form over the big names? Or is it premature to write off the record breaker? We'll know going forward. Tamil Thalaivas had reliable horses Manjeet and Surjeet who essayed their roles to perfection. Props also to Sagar who scored another hi-five (7 points).
How the points table looks:
Tamil Thalaivas are now placed fifth while UP Yoddha will be a little disappointed with their eighth spot standing.
--------------------------------
39-33 Ajinkya Pawar goes in for the final raid. He gets a bonus but is stranded deep in the Yoddha half.
That's that.
38-32
Here's what this looks like. Surender Gill goes in. Surjeet and one more defender I can't quite identify in that clutter gift him touch points this team would have otherwise not conceded. They've been generous in giving them those grace points for keeping the gap under 7.
38-30 Ajinkya Pawar picks up the bonus and is gifted a touch right near the midline. Too easy. UP Yoddha needs to focus on that seven point gap so that they can get a point
36-30 SUPER RAID for Pardeep Narwal.
Gifted. Bonus, Sagar and Sahil gift him touch points. Oof.
36-27
Surjeet gets a ridiculously block and hold on Surender Gill. Gill is injured but his brute force needs three Thalaivas defenders to truly neutralise him.
36-27 Manjeet gets a bonus point for Tamil Thalaivas.
35-27 Sahul gifts Sahil (Yes, I know and you read it right) a point. This was unnecessary.
34-26 Manjeet gets the all out.
UP Yoddha are full strength now. But a five point lead in favour of the Thalaivas is there.
31-26
UP Yoddha gets a bonus point but the raider runs straight into the defence. But wait, Surjeet reviews and says no bonus point. They're fighting for EVERY point. Let's wait once more. The raider looks alright. The bonus looks fine. And Thalaivas match the Yoddha. Lose their review.
30-25 Ajinkya Pawar is tackled and you'd think Thalaivas are in trouble in this do or die raid but Nitesh gets a huge foot out of the mat. Defender clearly out.
UP Yoddha is reviewing. WHY? I don't understand this. Review is unsuccessful, as expected.
What a waste of a review.
STAT:
14:43- average time off mat for Pardeep in the last seven games. This is a ridiculous figure.
29-25 GOOD NEWS for the Thalaivas.
They get Surender off the mat. Mohit and Sagar combine to take him down. Well done. They'll be able to breathe easy now
28-25
Surender Gill gets a bonus point.
28-24
Ajinkya Pawar picks up Sumit on the left in the do-or-die raid. Nicely done.
Thalaivas have another raider on the mat - Himanshu Singh who goes without a point to start.
Pardeep Narwal has been sub par in this game but he did reach that massive 1200-point milestone in the PKL.
Click here to know more.
27-24
Pardeep Narwal is blocked. Sahil and Manjeet take him down. Back to the bench you go, record breaker.
26-24 Manjeet gets Ankit off the mat.
25-24 Surender gets his super 10. Second of the season. We are not missing Pardeep Narwal at all.
25-23 Bonus for Tamil Thalaivas
24-23 Surender Gill gets his ninth point. One more for a Super 10. Gets a running hand touch on Sagar.
Vikash Kandola and Fazel Atrachali are watching this game. Wonder what he's learning from here.
24-22 UP YODDHA gets the ALL OUT. Executed perfectly here by the boys, perfect from Surender Gill.
22-19 Surender Gill gets a touch on Ajinkya Pawar. Thalaivas down to one man.
22-18 SURENDER SPIDERMAN GILL.
HE CRAWLS OVER SAGAR AND GETS HIS POINT. WOW. The UP Yoddha started this half with two men on the mat. They;re back on full strength now.
22-17
Prapanjan is tackled down in the middle of the mat. The lead is down to five points. Confidence is the name of the UP Yoddha strategy.
22-16 TWO POINTS.
Multi point raid for Surender Gill. This game has turned around in the last few minutes. UP Yoddha dealing in twos.
22-14
UP Yoddha has another SUPER TACKLE. Manjeet is neutralised.
22-12
Pardeep comes. Goes in for the dubki. Sagar and Bhavani anticipate this and cut him off. The Dubki no longer rules the PKL. Well well.
21-12 SUPER TACKLE.
Good from UP Yoddha to start the second half. The two on the mat bring down Prapanjan. This brings Pardeep Narwal back on the mat.
Jasveer says:
Don't worry. A 10 point lead is not as bad as it looks. All we need is one all out and we can turn it around.
This is what Yoddha coach Jasveer coach has this to say after the abysmal game Pardeep had vs U Mumba on January 1 (they drew that game):
Pardeep's body has been a little off since yesterday. He's been a bit sore and had some pain. That's why he moved a little less today. So we substituted him. Our secondary raiders stepped up to the job. We have enough raiders and it's not like we were stuck. Pardeep is our only star but as it happens in these games, pain happens so we had to keep him out.
"We are thinking of the milestone, he is too. He will play really well in his next match"
Pardeep has the milestone but his team is currently between a rock and a hard place. Wonder what the coach will say about Pardeep's showing today. He has had a silent first half to say the least.
HALFTIME: 11 POINT LEAD FOR TAMIL THALAIVAS. They have outplayed UP Yoddha in raiding and defence. That's all I need to type here really. That's how pedestrian UP Yoddha has been in this game.
21-10
Super tackle opportunity for UP Yoddha. Manjeet has pushed a defender off the mat. He runs back. Two men remain for UP Yoddha
20-10
Solo back hold from Surjeet to give Thalaivas another point here.
19-10
Error from UP Yoddha. Bhavani Rajput's height is helping him. He is dashed out but he's got a hand across the midline.
18-10
Sagar does well to bring down Surender Gill. He pauses a bit and regrets it. Off to the bench.
17-11 Manjeet gets a hold of Pardeep's legs and takes him down, Surjeet, Sagar and Bhavani stop the dangling hand. Pardeep back on the bench.
16-10
Bhavani Rajput gets a bonus point with a huge gap available for him to gently step in get a point and get out.
15-10
Mohit in the right corner is taken out by Pardeep Narwal with a running hand touch. Breezy
15-9 Prapanjan gets a bonus point but is brought down after a solid ankle hold from Ankit on right cover stops Prapanjan in his tracks
14-8 Surender get a toe touch again. Sahil taken out.
14-7
Tamil Thalaivas take yet another point, I've missed the raid entirely in my excitement to update Pardeep's milestone. GAH.
13-7 Pardeep Narwal takes out Surjeet Singh for his 1200th point in PKL history
13-6 Manjeet picks out Nitesh. Running hand touch this time.
12-6
Surender get the bonus but is tackled.
There's the ALL OUT.
9-5 Prapanjan comes in with a super tackle opportunity for UP Yoddha. He sends a defender off the mat before a fabulous tackle to bring Prapanjan down but that won't count. One man left
8-5
Surender gets a bonus point on the do or die raid. He is one of two men left on the mat and is substituted. Ankit comes in
8-4
Manjeet takes out Ashu Singh. Chipping away at this UP Yoddha side and Pardeep looks as unimpressed as ever
7-4
Bhavani Rajput takes Sumit and Nitesh - right and left corner. Crippling for UP Yoddha as Pardeep Narwal nods, acknowledging the skill from the bench.
5-4
Pardeep Narwal tries to raid into the centre. Mohit blocks Pardeep. Prapanjan and the rest of the defence rallies around and send him off to rest on the bench
4-4
Prapanjan takes out Shubham Kumar, pushed out of the way as he tries a block near the midline on the right.
3-4 Surender gets a toe touch on Sahil. Nicely done.
3-3
Manjeet gets a bonus but is tackled.
2-3
Defenders have worked out the dubki so Pardeep Narwal ditches the dive and tries to jump his way out of this hole but he is tackled down. 1200 has to wait.
PARDEEP ON THE BENCH
2-2 Prapanjan comes in on a do-or-die raid and gets a bonus point
1-2
Surender Gill gets a bonus point
1-1
Pardeep Narwal claims a point. He is one short of 1200 points.
1-0
Too easy for Manjeet. After Surender Gill puts in an empty raid, Nitesh Kumar gets a slippery hold on Manjeet and the tall raider just has to nudge back to the midline
8.30pm: LINEUPS:
Tamil Thalaivas: Manjeet, Surjeet Singh,
UP Yoddha: Pardeep Narwal, Surinder Gill, Ashu Singh, Shubham Kumar, Ankit, Nitesh Kumar, Sumit
8.20pm: FORM GUIDE: Tamil Thalaivas:
Surjeet's boys will come into this game with a lot of confidence after holding Dabang Delhi to a draw a few days back. Tamil Thalaivas made a surging comeback and kept chipping away at Dabang Delhi's lead. Naveen Kumar, who had picked up 14 raid points, was confined to the bench for the last five minutes and Tamil Thalaivas managed to complete the comeback and tie the game.
MILESTONE ALERT: PARDEEP NARWAL IS AT 1198 POINTS.
Two points away from 1200 points in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League.
8.10pm: FORM GUIDE: UP Yoddha:
Pardeep Narwal's men are fresh off two draws on the trot, a 28-28 stalemate against U Mumba and a 32-32 scoreline against Gujarat Giants. They have two losses and one solitary win this season so far - against Patna Pirates. The Yoddha have not had much to brag about with their performances. The side is still cripplingly dependent on Pardeep Narwal who has had a very poor start to season 8. If they have to give their morale a little boost and just practically get their campaign going,
they NEED a win.
8pm:
An interesting neck-to-neck clash is currently on between U Mumba and Haryana Steelers with not much separating the two sides.
Follow this game LIVE here:
If you're new to the PKL caravan and are wondering what super raids, super tackles, bonus points, do or die raids are, we have you covered.
Comments
SHARE