HYDERABAD: An all-round performance gave the U.P. Yoddhas a brilliant 35-31 win over the Gujarat Giants in the second game of the evening at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. Pardeep Narwal got his 1500th point in the league on a day when he finished with 9 points to help the Yoddhas to victory.
A slow start saw the UP Yoddhas take five consecutive points before the Giants had even opened their account. It took the Giants seven points to register their first point of the game and when they did, the Yoddhas, led by Pardeep Narwal hit them with a series of touch points to leave them on the verge of an all out. Narwal cleaned up the remaining two Giants defenders to inflict the first all out of the game and helped the UP side take a 13-2 lead. That raid also saw him extend his all time numbers, as he registered his 1500th point in the league.
Despite a brief Giants fightback, the Yoddhas stayed in complete control, their raiders perfectly complemented by a smart defence. The UP team went into the break leading 20-10.
Stung by their first half capitulation, the Giants sprinted out of the gates in the second half and had, within the first five minutes, cut the lead by half. They inflicted an all out of their own to reduce the lead to one point. Thereafter, both teams started trading blows on almost every raid.
The Giants kept the pressure on the Yoddhas and ensured that they never got too safe. In the last two minutes, the difference between the two teams never extended two points, and with the last raid, the Giants needed success to get something from the game. However, a super tackle by the Yoddhas on Dhaiya closed the doors on Giants' hopes in the end.
Award Winners
Match 1: Tamil Thalaivas vs Bengal Warriors
vivo Perfect Player of the Match - Narender (Tamil Thalaivas)
Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Sagar (Tamil Thalaivas)
Moment of the Match - Sagar (Tamil Thalaivas)
Match 2: U.P. Yoddhas vs Gujarat Giants
vivo Perfect Player of the Match - Pardeep Narwal (U.P. Yoddhas)
Dream 11 Gamechanger of the Match - Rohit Tomar (U.P. Yoddhas)
Moment of the Match - Pardeep Narwal (U.P. Yoddhas).