New Delhi, October 23: True to their fighting spirit, the UP Yoddhas kept their playoff hopes alive with a 35-32 win over U Mumba in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium tonight.
This was UP’s seventh victory in 18 matches, in a season involving several positives as well as takeaways for the team. For UP, Surender Gill led the charge with seven raid points, while defenders Sumit (5 points) and Hitesh (4 points) were rock-solid in the backline.
The Yoddhas then took control through a series of defensive tackles in the first half, though both teams gave each other a tough run for their money regardless.
UP’s momentum returned after the timeout as defence triumphed by trapping Ajit Chouhan, setting up a super tackle situation for U Mumba. Gagan Gowda's touch point had given UP the lead for the first time, though the half ended evenly poised at 17-17.
After the break, Shivam Chaudhary once again struck early to put UP ahead. Their defence continued to dominate, pinning down Ajit to make it 21-19. Shivam then added another point off Sunil before UP inflicted their second all-out, taking a 27-20 lead.
In the final quarter, U Mumba fought back as Ajit was revived but quickly tackled again in a Do-or-Die raid. Guman Singh picked up a point to make it 33–26 before U Mumba responded with a couple of points to narrow the gap. With two minutes left, Mumba brought the scoreline to 31-34, putting UP under pressure with a super tackle opportunity. However, Bhavani’s composed raid sealed the win for the Yoddhas, confirming a vital 35–32 triumph.
Although the win wasn’t enough to take UP Yoddhas into the playoffs, it was a fitting end to their campaign, with a performance that reflected grit, unity, and belief till the final whistle. The emergence of young talents like Shivam and Hitesh, coupled with the consistency of Surender Gill and Sumit, offered the side plenty of positives to build on.
While the season may have fallen short of a playoff berth, the Yoddhas’ late resurgence and fighting attitude have ensured they bow out with their heads held high and a solid foundation to return stronger next season.
