Kolkata: UP Yoddhas are aiming to complete a double in the season over Haryana Steelers with a win on Friday in Match 112 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here.
In the previous encounter between these two teams, Yoddhas, the GMR Group-owned franchise, had a commanding 57-27 victory over the Steelers and will hope to emulate the same performance on Friday.
Yoddhas went down 32-25 against Tamil Thalaivas in their previous match in New Delhi and are currently placed 11th in the league standings with 29 points and a score difference of -54.
On the other hand, sixth-place Steelers are looking to clinch a playoff spot as they beat another playoff contender Gujarat Giants 34-30. They currently have 55 points with a score difference of -13.
The Yoddhas and the Steelers have met each other nine times across the seasons of PKL. The Yoddhas have had an upper hand between the two sides, as they emerged victorious on four occasions with two games ending in a tie.
Speaking before the match, UP Yoddhas head coach Jasvir Singh said, “We have had our ups and downs in this season. With our main players missing on the mat in the last few games, the youngsters have made a remarkable case for themselves. We will aim for a dominating performance tomorrow with the record in our favour against Haryana”.
In the absence of star players like Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, and Vijay Mallik; the young raiders of the Yoddhas have taken the opportunity with both their hands.
The raiding pair of Gagana Gowda and Anil Kumar has amassed 50 and 24 raid points respectively. The pair has handled the pressure of raiding in the absence of their senior teammates, Narwal and Gill.
Sumit leads the defense for the Yoddhas, picking up 59 tackle points so far in the season. Ashu Singh and Hitesh have also been performing well in the absence of Nitesh Kumar and Gurdeep picking up 18 and 16 tackle points in the process.
For the Steelers, Vinay is leading the charts with his 118 raid points and he is well supported by Shivam Patare, who has earned 75 raid points so far.
The defensive trinity of Mohit Nandal, Rahul Sethpal, and Jaideep Dahiya have picked up 54, 52, and 51 tackle points respectively and will together pose a challenge to the opposition raiders in the upcoming clash.
–IANS
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