In a dynamic match, Yoddha were handed their first defeat in six matches by U Mumba, in the final match of Pune leg at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.

Despite starting off strongly, a sharp comeback by U Mumba helped them settle scores with Yoddha, who had earlier defeated Mumba in the league.

The combined effort of the raiders put Yoddha in the driving seat towards the beginning of first half. With Rishank, Shrikant and Surender striking in back to back raids, we inflicted an all-out on Mumba within the first eight minutes of the game. Yoddha led the match 11-2 at this point.

The Mumba raiders got into action quickly and revived their team with impactful raids. Though Ashu’s tackles earned us points, the defense made too many errors collectively which got Yoddha all-out with three minutes remaining in the half. By the end of the first half, Mumba had reduced the lead to a solitary point. Yoddha walked into the next half with a scoreline of 16-15 in their favour.

However, the second half favoured Mumba, who amped up their performance. Arjun Deshwal and Abhishek Singh’s successful raids yet again put Yoddha on the backfoot. Though Yoddha maintained the lead till the 14th minute of the second half, Singh’s game-changing super-raid helped Mumba to finally snatch the lead away from us. With Deshwal striking alongside Singh, Yoddha were all-out for the second time, with six minutes remaining in the match. This handed Mumba an unassailable lead, as they finished the match with a 39-36 final score and a victory.

Despite the defeat, Yoddha have a lot to take away from the match. Rishank stepped up and successfully carried out his duties as an experienced member of the squad, earning nine points, while Shrikant bagged eight. Ashu’s four points was the silver-lining of the Yoddha defense on the night. After the match, we are at the sixth position on the points table.

Looking to make a comeback, we will next meet Tamil Thalaivas in Jaipur on Saturday.