Led by an unstoppable Surender Gill, the UP Yoddhas emerged victorious against the Telugu Titans with a scoreline of 48-33 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. In the other match of the day, the Haryana Steelers secured a 38-32 victory over the Bengaluru Bulls, with Vinay (8 points) and Siddharth Desai (7 points) emerging as standout performers for the Steelers, dealing the Bulls their fourth consecutive loss of the season.
The highly anticipated clash featured the top raiders of both teams, Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Sehrawat, who have consistently been the leading scorers in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) for the past four seasons. However, Sehrawat faced an early tackle in his first raid, allowing the Yoddhas to take an early lead. Seizing the opportunity, they executed the first ALL OUT to establish a commanding 10-3 lead.
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Surender Gill, not overshadowed by the more renowned raiders on the field, assumed control of the game. His impressive SUPER RAID, eliminating Ankit and Milad Jabbari, significantly extended the Yoddhas' lead. Although the Titans made some efforts to narrow the gap as the first half progressed, Milad's SUPER TACKLE managed to sideline Gill for the first time, and the teams entered the halftime break with the Titans trailing by 4 points.
Despite resilient defence from the Titans' duo of Mohit and Milad, the Yoddhas inflicted a second ALL OUT, securing a nine-point lead with ten minutes remaining. From that point onward, the Yoddhas effectively prevented any chance of a Titans comeback. In the closing moments, a third ALL OUT occurred, marking the Titans' third consecutive defeat with two minutes left in the game.
The match began with Bharat executing a spectacular SUPER RAID, eliminating Siddharth Desai, Mohit Nandal, Jaideep Dahiya, Rahul Sethpal, and Mohit in the first minute, allowing the Bulls to surge ahead with a 5-0 lead. However, Vinay contributed with crucial raid points, and Jaideep Dahiya executed a SUPER TACKLE on Bharat, enabling the Steelers to take the lead at 8-6 by the 7th minute. Shortly after, the Steelers inflicted an ALL OUT, establishing a substantial lead of 12-6.
Maintaining relentless pressure on the Bulls, the Steelers controlled the game comfortably with a scoreline of 15-7 by the 11th minute. Vinay's consistent raiding prowess kept the Steelers in command, and Siddharth Desai's double-point raid led to another ALL OUT in the 18th minute. The Steelers entered halftime with a commanding lead of 26-13.
Although the Bulls managed to tackle Vinay early in the second half, the Steelers maintained a comfortable lead at 29-15 by the 24th minute. Despite the home side inflicting an ALL OUT in the 31st minute, the Haryana side continued to dominate with a scoreline of 31-24. Despite the Bulls' attempts at a comeback through the defensive efforts of Saurabh Nandal and Parteek, the Steelers consistently added points to their tally. The Haryana side ensured they remained in the lead for the remainder of the game, ultimately emerging as the victorious team.
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