UP Yoddha wrapped up their home leg in style, beating Bengaluru Bulls 45-33 and set up the Pro Kabaddi League Eliminator against Bengaluru Bulls.
Yoddha, now placed third in the table with 74 points, will face sixth-placed Bulls in Eliminator 1 on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
The hosts trailed in the first half but came back strong with Shrikant Jadhav and Surender Gill scoring nine raid points each.
Local boy, Ashu Singh was the standout defender for the team with five tackle points in the match.
Pawan Sehrawat, the star raider of the Bulls scored a Super Raid where he got rid of Sumit, Rishank Devadiga, Surender Gill and Ashu singh in one go.
The score stood at 6-1 in favour of Bulls. Soon after, Bengaluru inflicted the first all out on U.P. to go ahead 9-2 with just four minutes into the half.
Trailing 4-14, the hosts scored a Super Raid through Surender Gill to reduce the deficit to 9-14.
Yoddha then inflicted the first all-out on Bengaluru to reduce the gap 14-17, firmly within the range of Bulls, who went into half-time leading 22-20.
Yoddha took the lead for the first time in the match after inflicting the second all-out on Bulls. Their defence got better as they tackled with purpose allowing the opponents no breathing space.
With the half coming inching towards the end, Rishank looked in inspiring form as he scored two important raid points helping his team establish a three point cushion at 34-31 going into the official time-out.
It seemed like the final nail in the coffin as with less than two minutes to go in the match Yoddha inflicted the third all-out to lead 42-32 and eventually sealed the win.
The Hi-Flyer was in fine form in #UPvBLR, but there was no beating the Yoddha defence! 💪
Watch LIVE action from the #WorldsToughestWeek:
âš”: #VIVOProKabaddi Playoffs
â³: October 14, 7 PM
📺: Star Sports and Hotstar#IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/rfcypPHwQZ— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) October 11, 2019