Pro Kabaddi League 2018: What went wrong for UP Yoddha in the UP leg

UP Yoddha before kicking off their home leg looked rather hopeful of performing extremely well and winning big in the Pro Kabaddi Season 6 at their home ground. But, nothing seemed to have worked in their favor. With 3 lost matches and 2 ties on their back, UP Yoddha didn’t quite put up a show at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, their home turf. Let’s take a quick sneak peek of how the Yoddha performed, match by match in their ground.

UP Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas:

The first match was like the icing on the cake for the Thalaivas, dashing out the Yoddha on every given opportunity. UP Yoddha got all-out three times on their very first night and were not able to take even a solitary point in their kitty. This would have come as a blow to the Yoddha and probably the team should have come back re-grouping and playing a cohesive game.

UP Yoddha vs Bengaluru Bulls:

The Yoddha returned strong after the drubbing in the first night, but the confident Rohit Kumar dominated the court yet again. While UP Yoddha gave a tough competition to the Bulls, their raiders lacked that extra strength and push needed to exceed their A game. At-least the Yoddha were able to take home a solitary point from this game that night. But, they needed to come back more strongly.

Rishank Devadiga, captain of UP Yoddha, in action. [Picture Courtesy: ProKabaddi.com]

UP Yoddha vs Bengal Warriors:

After two successive losses and the pressure to out-perform their last two matches, UP Yoddha looked rather determined to win this match. The Yoddha put up a great show that night; Rishank Devadiga also completed a Super 10. But, they got overwhelmed with their own performance and gave away a plethora of points to the Warriors in the dying minutes to settle down for a tie.

After two losses, taking a tie home was not that bad either. But, this was a match which, the Yoddha gave away to the Warriors. They could have and should have won this game.

UP Yoddha vs Telugu Titans:

The quest for the maiden win was still on for the Yoddha. After a tie in the last game against Bengal Warriors, UP Yoddha looked rather hopeful of coming back on the mat in full strength and they proved it right that night. UP Yoddha’s defence seemed to be on song especially with Rahul Chaudhari off the mat, for the most part of that night.

The Yoddha were leading their way to victory but in the last 10 minutes, by giving away points to the Titans in advance unsuccessful tackles, the Yoddha settled for yet another tie. This match would’ve come as a big disappointment to the Yoddha too. It was another opportunity lost.

The UP Yoddha team in action. [Picture Courtesy: ProKabaddi.com]

UP Yoddha vs Bengaluru Bulls:

In a yet another encounter with the Bulls, the Yoddha should’ve been prepared to look ahead of the opposition defence and raiders. But, they were not. Pawan Sehrawat with an ably supported Rohit Kumar, notched up a Super-10 in this game. Mahender Singh and Nitesh Kumar completed their High-5s as well.

The injured Rishank Devadiga and Shrikant Jadhav from UP Yoddha tried to keep the scoreboard ticking but in vain. The home leg ended with UP Yoddha losing the last match of their leg against the Bulls.

UP Yoddha re-analyze their strategies and spend time in planning and re-grouping to get their season back on track in their quest to qualify for the playoffs. They now stand on the fourth position in the PKL 6 Points Table.