UP Yoddha will battle in-form Puneri Paltan on Thursday in Pro Kabaddi League Season 8.
The team from UP has impressed in the early stages of the tournament and will look to establish their playoff credentials with a win against the youngsters of Puneri Paltan.
Coach Anup Kumar's Pune won't be easy pushovers despite their position in the bottom half of the points table. The Paltan raiding duo of Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat has found form in the recent matches with the seasoned star Nitin Tomar backing them up. Mohit's calmness in Do-or-Die situations has been a highlight in their recent wins.
The defence has also looked revitalised after the 50-40 defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. Anup Kumar changed his experienced corner duo of Baldev Singh and Vishal Bhardwaj for Sombir and Karamvir respectively.
They have excelled so far, which has given cover defenders Sanket Sawant and Abinesh Nadarajan the confidence to make advanced tackles.
UP Yoddha didn't have the services of their star raider Surender Gill in their previous outing due to an injury. His astute raiding has been the key to Yoddha's success but Pardeep Narwal's improved form will be a big relief.
The "record breaker" has been moving well on the mat, especially when the bonus is active, and will team up with Shrikant Jadhav in the attack. Iranian Mohammad Taghi has also been making valuable appearances from the bench which could lead to a starting role against Pune.
The Yoddha defence will have a difficult time against Pune's left and right raiding combination. Aslam Inamdar and Nitin Tomar prefer the right while Mohit Goyat often targets the left.
The corner duo of Nitesh Kumar and Sumit will need to be on their toes to ensure the defence is organised. But U.P.'s best shot at winning the match will be to target the Pune defence.
It is still a relatively inexperienced unit and might crumble if Pardeep Narwal and Shrikant Jadhav can invoke mistakes early in the match. Surender Gill was the architect of their win earlier in the season and boost their attack if available.
( With inputs from ANI )
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