Our previous encounter was not fruitful for us, but U.P. Yoddha are determined this time to make Haryana Steelers bite the dust as the two teams lock horns at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex, Panchkula on Saturday.

Their raiders

The Steelers have a raider-heavy squad, but Vikas Kandola has undoubtedly been the standout performer. Though the star raider missed out on the initial phase of the tournament, he has been one of the biggest contributors to the points table since joining the team this season. With an average of almost 10 raid points per match, Kandola will be the man our defenders should watch out for. Apart from Kandola, Prashant Kumar Rai, who has been a part of the Yoddha squad earlier, can prove to be dangerous.

However, Kandola will face tough resistance trying to find points. A left-raider, he will face Nitesh Kumar in the right corner in his bid to steal bonus points and touch points. Nitesh has been one of the most consistent defenders of ProKabaddi and is deadly with his ankle holds. The Steelers right raiders will face a strong Sumit at the right corner who not only pulls off brilliant ankle holds but also contributes with effective dashes.

Their defenders

Captain Dharmaraj Cheralathan, experienced and able, has to potential to pull off brilliant tackles single-handedly, which creates problems for our raiders. However, Rishank has had his share of experience of going past strong defenses while Surender has been the best of Yoddha raiders as far as keeping nerves strong in tense situations as he has been extremely successful in do-or-die raids.

Shrikant has been the most successful Yoddha raider this season and he will be the central attraction in the Yoddha attack against Steelers. In the previous face off, he had struck the Steelers defense with six successful raids, earning nine raid points.

Head to head

UP Yoddha 1 – 2 Haryana Steelers

Form guide

U.P. Yoddha – W L W W W

Haryana Steelers – W L W T W