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

Phase IV - the must-win against the champions

Prashanth Kumar Rai (center) was the star for the Yoddhas in their win over the Patna Pirates.

The match against the Pirates was critical from two aspects. First, it was a must-win for the Yoddhas after a tied encounter against the Thalaivas, and second, a win against the Pirates, who was also a contender for the playoff spot, would help the Yoddhas' chances of making it to this season's playoffs.

What an astonishing outing Match 115 turned out for the Yoddhas! The Pirates rushed off to a 4-0 lead in the first couple of minutes of the match while the Yoddhas seemed clueless with an unorganized defense and an undecisive raiding unit.

Shrikant Jadhav brought some relief to their camp with a successful raid in the 3rd minute of the match. They slowly started making inroads into the match and went to gather a slender, 5-point lead (22-17) by the end of the first half.

And then with terrific performances from Prashanth (11 points), Shrikant (8 points) in the attack, and Sachin (5 points) and Jeeva (4 points) in the defense, the Yoddhas surged ahead to clinch a crucial victory (47-31) against the Pirates in a dominating fashion.