The Tamil Thalaivas kept their hopes of reaching the playoffs alive with a 32-25 win over the U.P. Yoddhas at the Thyagaraj indoor Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
The Thalaivas’ star raider Narender scored an impressive super 10, while the team skipper and star defender Sahil Gulia got a high five, as they moved to eighth, just two places below the playoff spots.
The Yoddhas took an early lead as Gagana Gowda and Mahipal combined for seven raid points. For the Thalaivas, Narender was their main raider, but he did not get much support from his teammates.
Just as the Yoddhas were taking a decisive lead, the Thalaivas’ raiders upped the ante. While Narendar was their main threat, Sahil Gulia did well in the left corner with a high five as the team went into the first half with the score reading 21-16 in their search for a spot in the knockouts.
In the second half, the Yoddhas scored two consecutive points, putting the Thalaivas in a super tackle situation. However, Himanshu ensured that they made up the points by scoring in a do-or-die Raid. This gave the Thalaivas some momentum as they scored two consecutive points
After losing the lead to the Thalaivas, the Yoddhas tried their best to come back into the game. Anil Kumar and Mahipal both had successful raids, but their defenders were unable to keep the Thalaivas and their raiders out of the points.
Narender kept his form up to complete his ninth super 10 of the season as the Thalaivas began to take an unassailable lead. For the Yoddhas, their raiders were constantly caught by Thalaivas skipper Sahil Gulia, who kept his team afloat in the race for a playoff spot with this important victory.
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