Sheraton Grand, Bengaluru: In the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2021-22 encounter on Saturday, UP Yoddha edged Patna Pirates 36-35 in the last move of the game to gain a much-needed five points. Puneri Paltan upset Telugu Titans in a tight battle in the second match of the night, while Jaipur Pink Panthers overcame Haryana Steelers in the last match of the night.
Patna had believed they had clawed their way back into a tie in the last play of the game when they tackled Surender Gill, but the UP raider ensured he scored a bonus point in the process, keeping Patna’s one-point advantage alive. With 12 points, Pardeep Narwal, a former Patna raider, led the way for UP Yoddha.
Pardeep Narwal got off to a fast start, scoring two bonus points in his first two raids and then adding a two-point raid to his tally. Patna battled in the early rounds, especially with raiders Monu Goyat and Prashant Kumar Rai.
UP scored a tree-point Super Raid in the 10th minute. With only two guys on the mat, Yoddha’s Shrikant Jadhav had three-time champions Patna Pirates sweating. However, their all-rounder Sachin earned a crucial raid point and then added a Super Tackle to his tally. Patna then made a stunning comeback with four Super tackles, with players like Mohammadreza Chianeh and Sajin standing out.
Both teams failed to inflict an ALL OUT in the first half, which finished with Patna leading 20-12. As the defence grabbed control of the game in the second half, both sides completed Super Tackles. However, a couple errors by the guys in green allowed UP to get the game’s first ALL OUT in the 10th minute of the second half, putting them up a three-point advantage. The UP squad kept the advantage until the last few minutes, thanks to a few errors by the Patna defence. The Pirates, on the other hand, made it a one-point game in the final move of the game, forcing UP to go through a do-or-die raid. Surender Gill, on the other hand, displayed amazing foresight to pick up an extra point and help UP Yoddha win the match.
