Panchkula, Feb 20 (IANS): Already out of Playoffs positions, U.P Yoddhas will look to finish their season on a high with a win in their last match of the season against Puneri Paltan in Match 132 of Pro Kabaddi Season 10 at the Tau Devilal Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.
In the reverse fixture between the two teams in January, the Yoddhas went down 31-40 in an entertaining game at their home leg. With four wins and a tie, the Yoddhas are currently placed 11th in the league, amassing 30 points and a score difference of -114.
The Yoddhas missed out on victory against Gujarat Giants in their last match as they went down 29-36. On the other hand, the Paltan secured a comfortable 51-36 victory over the Haryana Steelers in their last game. The Paltan have qualified for the playoffs and are currently ranked second in the table with 91 points and a score difference of 251 and will look to finish on top of the league table.
The two teams have faced each other on 11 occasions across the ten seasons of PKL. The Yoddhas have had the upper hand registering six victories while the Paltan won the remaining five.
Speaking before the match, U.P. Yoddhas head coach Jasvir Singh said, “Our season did not go as per our expectations. We missed our main faces in many of our games. However, I am proud of the young and inexperienced players who have stepped up and played well in their place. I want to thank our fans for supporting us throughout the season. Our boys will make sure to bring them joy in our final match tomorrow.”
The raiding pair of captain Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill were the highlight for the Yoddhas this season, picking up 122 and 87 raid points respectively before the latter got injured. In the absence of senior raiders in the last few games, their young teammates Gagana Gowda, Anil Kumar, and Mahipal took on the raiding duties, earning 76, 26, and 25 raid points respectively so far for the team.
In defense, Sumit led the charts for the Yoddhas with his 61 tackle points in the season. He got support from Nitesh Kumar and Gurdeep, who earned 37 and 29 tackle points respectively. In their absence, Hitesh and Ashu Singh stepped up and earned 28 and 20 tackle points respectively to their name. All-rounder Vijay Mallik contributed in both the departments and earned 47 total points in the season.
For the Paltan, the raiding duo of Aslam Mustafa Imamdar and Mohit Goyat will lead the attack as they have earned 127 and 114 raid points respectively. Mohammadreza Chiyaneh will be the main hurdle for the Yoddhas’ raiders, as the Iranian all-rounder stands at the top in the list of most tackle points in the tournament with his 87 tackle points leading the side who have racked up the most tackle points for any team in the season.