UP Yoddha finished with yet another Tie, this time with the Telugu Titans at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater NOIDA. The game panned out really well in the first half for us as we earned a 9-point lead but failed to maintain the same and ended settling for Tie. However, earning three points from the game, we surpassed the Bengaluru Bulls to take the top spot of Zone B points table.

Shrikant Jadhav started off with a successful raid while Sachin Kumar’s tackle earned us another point to keep us in the lead. While our raiders kept of sneaking cautious points, defenders put up a top-notch performance to keep the momentum going. Though the Titans inflicted two super tackles on us, our defense kept us on the track. Both teams kept their nerves and waited for do-or-die raids, but our defenders went all guns blazing and gave their raiders a tough time. Our defense remained exceptional till the end of first half, not letting Rahul Chaudhari score a single point in the first 20 minutes and headed for the next half with a 19-10 scoreline.

While the defenders played with similar fearlessness in the other half as well, the raiders upped their game. Our surprise package, Sachin Kumar, earned raid points as well. Sadly, after an unsuccessful raid, Shrikant suffered an injury and had to be taken off the mat. However, he showed immense bravery, to have his head bandaged and come back on the mat to lift his side.

However, it was a day of the defenders. They maintained their dominance on the mat and kept the Yoddha in the lead. However, the Titans upped their game to make up for the points. Rahul Chaudhari earned points in the second half and looked in a better rhythm than before. Right before the final moments, Titans levelled the scores with us and the game ended with scores of 26 all.

Shrikant Jadhav received the VIVO Perfect Raider of the Match award for being the most successful among the raiders while Nitesh Kumar’s consistency took him to the top of all the defenders this season and earned him the TATA Ace Orange Sleeve.