UP Yoddhas jumped into third position in the Pro Kabaddi standings after a 38-28 win over U Mumba on Friday at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Later on Gujarat Giants came up with a 40-34 win over the Patna Pirates, and Haryana Steelers beat the Bengal Warriors 32-26.
With the Mumbai and Kolkata teams losing their matches, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan became the first teams to confirm their berths for the playoff stage of the season.
A combination of defensive errors from U Mumba and timely tackles from the Yoddhas helped the Pardeep Narwal-led team overtake the Bengaluru Bulls in the league table. Narwal scored 13 points, while defenders Nitesh Kumar, Ashu Singh and Sumit picked up two, three, and four tackle points respectively in the win.
In the second match of the night, Mahendra Rajput came off the bench to score 12 important raid points for the Giants, as the team continues to look for a way to get back into the top 10 positions in the 12-team competition. They’re currently placed 11th, trailing the Pirates by two points.
The last match of the night was a rather quiet one for two of the most prominent raiders in the league. Maninder Singh, the Warriors captain, scored just five points and Manjeet scored four for the Steelers.
Instead it was the defenders who called the shots, as Jaideep Dahiya scored six tackle points, and his Steelers teammate Monu Hooda had five points in defence. Shubham Shinde also picked up five tackle points for the Warriors.
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