PKL 12: UP Yoddhas take key lessons from gritty tussle with Pink Panthers in Jaipur opener

Jaipur, Sep 13 UP Yoddhas went down to Jaipur Pink Panthers 29-41 in their opening match of the Jaipur leg of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

Star raider Gagan Gowda furthered his impeccable form with another Super 10 performance, which is his fourth of the present campaign. Gowda accumulated 15 points, and skipper Sumit Sangwan stood tall with four of them to his name. Guman Singh came off the bench to bag a couple of them to his name, too.

The Yoddhas logged a 51.16% raid strike rate, exceeding the 47.4% of the Panthers. They also had a super raid to their name, unlike Jaipur.

The Yoddhas demonstrated formidable fight in the first half, striking 10 raid points. It was a high-octane affair, but UP, who have been performing impeccably upfront in the last few games, furthered that positive momentum by unleashing their offensive might on the home sides.

In the second half, they matched Jaipur toe-to-toe, garnering 17 points vis-à-vis 18 of the Pink Panthers. This included 12 raid points - in a phase when their adversaries could register only eight of them.

Opposing coaches have consistently acknowledged the strength in the ranks of the UP Yoddhas. Defending champion Haryana Steelers tactician Manpreet Singh was in awe of the depth in the Yoddhas’ squad after their fixture earlier this month. With such a remarkable roster of players at their disposal, it is only imminent that the Yoddhas channel and unleash their warrior spirit to recover momentum in the games to come.

The attacking numbers put the spotlight on the significant firepower in the frontline of the UP Yoddhas, and the entire arsenal will now strive to produce collective outings in the forthcoming fixtures.

UP Yoddhas will play their next game against the Bengal Warriors on September 16. The Jaipur Pink Panthers are poised to lock horns with the same opponent on September 18.

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