New Delhi: UP Yoddhas, the franchisee owned by GMR Group went down to Tamil Thalaivas with a score of 25-32 in Match number 108th of Pro Kabaddi League Season 10, held at Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, Delhi. Playing without their experienced and star players like Pardeep Narwal, Nitesh, and the injured Surender Gill, UP Yoddhas started well with the assistance of their young squad. However, they couldn’t maintain the momentum and ended up facing a seven-point defeat. In the game, Gagan Gowda emerged as the highest scorer for the Yoddhas with six points, followed by Mahipal who earned four points. Ashu Singh, Hitesh, and Anil contributed three points each. With four victories and 29 points, UP Yoddhas are currently placed eleventh in the points table.
UP Yoddhas will now face Haryana Steelers on 09th February 2024 at Kolkata. The match between UP Yoddhas and Haryana Steelers will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports Network and can be streamed LIVE on Disney Hotstar from 09:00 p.m. (IST) onwards.
UP Yoddhas won the toss and chose to let Tamil Thalaivas raid first. Yoddha Anil Kumar swiftly pinned down Narendra in the opening raid, initiating the scoring for his team. Shortly after, the Thalaivas defender countered by pinning down Gagan Gowda, leveling the scorecard. Subsequently, Gagan Gowda and Mahipal took charge, scoring consecutive points that propelled UP Yoddhas ahead when the scorecard read 10-6 to their favor by the first tenth minute of the game. However, a minute later, Tamil Thalaivas staged a comeback by applying pressure on their opponents with intense action. Not only did the southern team overcome the lead, but they also inflicted the first All-out of the night. This allowed them to secure a crucial four-point lead, with the scorecard now reading 16-12 in favor of the Thalaivas, by just five minutes left in the first half. However, a Super-Tackle by Ashu Singh in the 20th minute provided some hope for Yoddhas’ fans, who wished their favorite team to carry this momentum into the next twenty minutes of the game, despite trailing by 16-21 by the end of the first half.
The second half began with the Yoddha, Mahipal scoring the first point that came through a swift running touch, therefore narrowing the score gap for his team. However, unforced errors by the Yoddhas allowed their opponent defenders to capitalize, scoring points in quick succession and building a six-point lead by the 29th minute of the game. The scorecard favored the Thalaivas at 25-19. From this point onward, both sides exchanged points, with Tamil Thalaivas maintaining their lead and keeping their hopes for a playoffs berth alive. While the Yoddhas were hoping for a turnaround which proved too late to stage a comeback. The Thalaivas walked away with a comfortable seven-point victory, securing a final score of 32-25 over the Yoddhas.
