Pro Kabaddi League 2018: U.P. Yoddha's roller-coaster journey to the playoffs

Phase III - the steady comeback

Nitesh Kumar's consistency in defense was key to the revival of the Yoddhas.

With just six matches remaining in the season and each one of them a must-win encounter, the coach and management decided to stick with their strongest starting seven and give them enough rope to instill confidence in them on their secured spot in the team.

This confidence in the players started showing results in Match 98 of the season, where they faced the Haryana Steelers, another team struggling with form issues, in an Inter-Zone Challenge encounter.

The Yoddhas were decisive and patient in their approach as both, the raiding as well as the defense unit, came together to secure a refreshing and hopeful win for their side. The raiding unit contributed with 19 raid points, while the defense contributed with a significant 9 tackle points.

The next two matches were against Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas, while the former ended in a win for the Yoddhas, the latter was a tie. But, the campaign of the Yoddhas had slowly gathered momentum in the season and instilled a confidence in their abilities which was necessary before their next match against the reigning champions, the Patna Pirates.