In a match defined more by the brilliance of the Yoddhas' defensive unit at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, U.P. Yoddhas beat Tamil Thalaivas 41-24 on Sunday.
Raider Pardeep Narwal also chipped in with 6 points and with that became the first player to cross 1400 raid points in the history of Pro Kabaddi.
The game kicked off with the Thalaivas taking out U.P. Yoddhas' two lead raiders, Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill in their first two raids. Within minutes though, the Yoddhas had recomposed themselves and clawed back to take the lead. From there on, the Yoddhas truly kicked on and inflicted the first All-Out of the match soon after to take a 10-5 lead.
Both team's raiders matched each other step for step through the half, but the difference truly was the well-drilled and coordinated Yoddhas defence. With five minutes of the half left, Pardeep, on a Do-or-Die raid, took out Sahil Gulia and Himanshu - two of the last three remaining Thaliavas' players on the mat - leaving them staring at a second All-Out. The All-Out duly arrived, and the Yoddhas went into the break leading at 23-11.
The Thalaivas came storming out in the second half and had the Yoddhas on the ropes, and on the cusp of an All-Out. Ashu Singh's Super Tackle on Visvanath V helped them avoid that fate and kept the Yoddhas' lead intact. Successful raiding from the Thalaivas constantly left the Yoddhas on the brink, but Ashu's ability to pull off super tackles meant they never lost their emphatic lead.
The Thalaivas tried their best to make a comeback, but they couldn't catch up with their opponents. The Yoddhas capped the game off in the best way possible with substitute raider Rathan K executing a Super Raid to get them over the 40-point mark and help clinch their third win of the season.
( With inputs from ANI )
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