U.P. Yoddhas and Patna Pirates clash in match 44 of Pro Kabaddi Season 9 at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune on Friday, October 28.

While the Yoddhas are coming off a dominant 41-24 win over Tamil Thalaivas, Patna Pirates were held to a 31-31 stalemate by Bengaluru Bulls.

Players to watch out for - UP Yoddha

Record-breaker Pardeep Narwal will go up against his former employers Patna Pirates on Friday. Narwal, with 56 raid points and three Super Raids from six matches, will look to exploit the Patna defence that has struggled against opposing raiders of late.

Ashu Singh will be the top defender to handle the attacking prowess of Patna Pirates. Ashu will look to add more to his season’s tally of 20 tackle points on Friday.

Players to watch out for - Patna Pirates

Rohit Gulia and Sachin (both 55 raid points) will be tasked with breaking through the formidable U.P. Yoddhas defence.

In defence, Sunil has 19 tackle points and will look to trap Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill whenever the pair attempt to grab raid points.

Patna Pirates vs U.P. Yoddhas| Head-to-Head

U.P. Yoddhas and Patna Pirates have faced each other 11 times, with the Pirates leading the head-to-head with six wins. The Yoddhas, meanwhile, have claimed four victories and settled for one draw.

In PKL 8, the two teams met thrice. U.P. Yoddhas claimed a narrow 36-35 victory the first time around while the Pirates won the next two encounters.

The recent clash saw Patna Pirates beat the Yoddhas 38-27 to win the semi-final of Pro Kabaddi Season 8.

Recent form

Patna Pirates: D, W, L, L, L

U.P. Yoddhas: W, L, W, L, L