Tamil Thalaivas Vs U.p. Yoddhas 07 December 2022

Tamil Thalaivas endured some miserable campaigns in the previous seasons, and the start of season 9 too didn't pan out the way they expected. They lost Pawan Sehrawat at the start and coach Udaykumar left the team after a crushing defeat at the hands of U.P Yoddhas. However, Ashan Kumar took over and brought the best out of this young setup, instilled belief, and now, the Thalaivas book their spot in the playoffs, with a game in hand. What a story it's been and it's not over yet. 5 teams are confirmed for the knockouts and we will get to know the last team in a couple of days' time. Let's find out what happens in tomorrow's double-header, but until then, this is Pragadeesh signing off

FT: Tamil Thalaivas 43-28 U.P Yoddhas

Ashan Kumar and the players acknowledge the fans in delight as Tamil Thalaivas picked up a thumping win to book their spot in the playoffs. The Yoddhas rested some key players coming into this clash and that helped the Thalaivas to start on the front foot. They had a nine-point lead at half-time but U.P responded with some quick raid points to inflict an all-out.

That super raid from Durgesh Kumar reduced the deficit to just three points but Narender stepped up his game when his team needed something special from him. He picked up a couple of multi-point raids to help his team inflict the all-out in the 35th minute. They also took a commanding 13-point lead after the clean-up act and the last five minutes became a mere formality in the end

40' Ajinkya Pawar returns empty-handed in the buzzer raid but that doesn't matter. Tamil Thalaivas book their playoffs spot for the first time in PKL history

39' The Yoddhas continue to deal in super tackles.

38' Another super tackle for the Yoddhas. Babu gets hold of Ajinkya Pawar's ankle nicely and there's is no escaping from it

Tamil Thalaivas 42-26 U.P.Yoddhas

38' Cover combo Abishek and Mohit run across to block Durgesh Kumar in the do-or-die raid

Tamil Thalaivas 40-24 U.P.Yoddhas

37' SUPER TACKLE! First super tackle for the Yoddhas as Ashu Singh tackles Himanshu with an ankle hold

It's turning out to be a Thalaivas' onslaught suddenly 

36' SUPER RAID! Ajinkya Pawar picks up a bonus before taking out both corner defenders with his retrieval skills to touch the mid-line

Tamil Thalaivas 39-22 U.P.Yoddhas

Narender stepped up his game instantly after the time-out as his multi-points raids were crucial for the Thalaivas to inflict an all-out and take an unassailable lead

Tamil Thalaivas 36-22 U.P.Yoddhas

35' Himanshu single-handedly tackles Anil Kumar with an ankle hold

34' ALL OUT! Abishek runs across to dash Mahipal out of bounds after he was allowed to pick up a bonus. But the Yoddhas take a review claiming the raid was successful. No part of the body is on the lobby when Mahipal touched the mid-line. Review unsuccessful and no bonus

Tamil Thalaivas 35-22 U.P.Yoddhas

NARENDER IS MAKING THINGS HAPPEN! Back-to-back multi-points raids to reduce the Yoddhas to just one man on the mat

34' Narender takes out Nitesh Kumar and Sandeep Narwal in the do-or-die raid.

Tamil Thalaivas 30-21 U.P.Yoddhas

32' DO-OR-DIE RAID FOR THE YODDHAS! It's a superb combination tackle from Ajinkya Pawar and Arpit Saroha to hammer the raider down

Tamil Thalaivas 30-21 U.P.Yoddhas

Both teams have five men on the mat, so the raiders aren't taking any risks

After trailing in the first half, the Young Yoddhas' team didn't hold back as they strike back in the second half and also, inflicted an all-out. It's still a 5-point lead and anything can happen in the remaining 10 minutes. Can the Thalaivas maintain their lead and book their spot in the playoffs?

TIME OUT! 

30' SUPER TACKLE! Arpit Saroha with a stunning ankle hold to send the dangerous Durgesh to the bench

Tamil Thalaivas 26-21 U.P.Yoddhas

29' SUPER RAID! Durgesh picks up a super raid to reduce the deficit to just three at the moment

Both defenses are exchanging blows. Still it's a 6-point lead for the Thalaivas

28' ALL OUT! Durgesh gets revenge as he takes out Arpit Saroha with a running hand touch before using the lobby to escape from the Visvanth's dash

Tamil Thalaivas 23-17 U.P.Yoddhas

Ajinkya Pawar is picking up bonus points but they are reduced to two.

26' DO-OR-DIE RAID! Aashish commits an advanced tackle but Durgesh escapes easily

Sandeep Narwal comes in as a substitute for the Yoddhas

24' SUPER TACKLE! THALAIVAS TAKE A VITAL TWO POINT! The substitute Aashish comes up with a stunning thigh hold to pin Ashish down

Tamil Thalaivas 21-12 U.P.Yoddhas

22' The Thalaivas are reduced to three now. Anil Kumar with an excellent kick to take out Abishek

21' Anil Kumar takes out Sahil Gulia straightaway in the first raid of the second half before the Yoddhas' defense tackle Narender

HT: Tamil Thalaivas 18-9 U.P.Yoddhas

Tamil Thalaivas are up and running in this all-important match and have taken a 9-point lead. With Pardeep Narwal and Rohit Tomar out of the match, the young U.P attack looked insipid in the first half as they picked up just five raid points in the first half. 

After a steady start, Tamil Thalaivas had momentum throughout and the first all-out came at the stroke of half time when the defense tackled the substitute, Durgesh Kumar. If it stays like this in the second half, the Thalaivas would book their play off-berth for the first time in the history of PKL. Let's find out what happens in the second half shortly

20' A loose and very late dash from Mohit as Mahipal uses the lobby to get back to the mid-line

19' ALL OUT! Durgesh Kumar has been tackled in the surrender raid. The Thalaivas take an 11-point lead now

U.P Yoddhas 7-18 Tamil Thalaivas

One defender goes out of the end line and Narender takes out Nitin Tomar. Here comes the surrender raid for the Yoddhas

U.P Yoddhas 6-15 Tamil Thalaivas

16' The Yoddhas are reduced to three as Anil Kumar has been tackled with ease by the Thalaivas' defense

16' Ajinkya Pawar sends the right corner defense deep before getting a running hand touch on Jaideep

15' DO-OR-DIE RAID FOR THE YODDHAS! Mahipal comes in but Sahil Gulia bends low to attempt an ankle hold and it turns out to be successful

U.P Yoddhas 6-11 Tamil Thalaivas

Two vital bonus points for Himanshu as he is shouldering the responsibility in the attack now

12' Another running hand touch for the tall Anil Kumar as he takes out Mohit on this occasion

Both Thalaivas' raiders are off the mat now

11' Narender takes a do-or-die raid at the other end. The Yoddhas' defense stay deep and tackle Narender with ease

U.P Yoddhas 5-8 Tamil Thalaivas

10' DO-OR-DIE RAID! Anil Kumar comes in. He gets a running hand touch on Ajinkya Pawar

9' The Yoddhas are reduced to three after Gurdeep gifts the Thalaivas a point by going out of the end line

8' Mohit runs across in a flash to tackle Mahipal in the do-or-die raid

7' Ajinkya Pawar takes a do-or-die raid. He has been tackled by the Yoddhas' defense

U.P Yoddhas 3-6 Tamil Thalaivas

The Yoddhas are reduced to four but the Thalaivas' raiders haven't taken any risks in both raids. Here comes the do-or-die raid

5' Arpit Saroha and Sahil Gulia work in tandem to strike back instantly in defense

First tackle point of the match belongs to the Yoddhas. Narender is on his way back to the bench now

U.P Yoddhas 2-5 Tamil Thalaivas

3' First point on the board for the Yoddhas as Anil Kumar gets a bonus point in the do-or-die raid

2' Ajinkya Pawar strikes in his first raid as he gets a running hand touch on Jaideep

1' Another multi-point raid from Narender and the Thalaivas are off to a fast and furious start

U.P Yoddhas 0-4 Tamil Thalaivas

Alright then! Some big changes in the Yoddhas' line up but all eyes on Tamil Thalaivas. Narender opens the raid and he opens the account too. He picked up a bonus and a touch point

Teams

Tamil Thalaivas: M. Abishek, Himanshu, Arpit Saroha, Narender , Sahil Singh, Mohit , Ajinkya Ashok Pawar

Bench: K. Abhimanyu, Md. Arif Rabbani, Visvanath V, Himanshu Virender singh, Ashish-II, Sachin, Sahil Surender

U.P Yoddhas: Nitesh Kumar, Gurdeep, Nitin Tomar, Mahipal, Nitin Panwar, Anil Kumar, Jaideep

Bench: Nehal B Sawal, Durgesh Kumar, Babu M, Ashu Singh, James Kamweti, Gulveer Singh, Sandeep Narwal

Need a bit of help with your fantasy teams? Cannot decide which player to include for the contest? Fret not, scroll down a little, read the fantasy article compiled by our own reliable team and get going!

It's the veteran raider Pardeep on one side and the young sensation Narender on the other. Here is the latest about the team news and prediction

Hello and welcome to the LIVE coverage of the PKL match between Tamil Thalaivas and U.P.Yoddhas at the Gachibowli indoor stadium in Hyderabad

This is one of the battles to look forward to at the back end of the league phase. A win for the Thalaivas would seal their playoff berth for the first time in PKL. But do they have enough firepower to come out on top against the resurgent U.P side? Last time. when these two met, the Yoddhas dismantled the Thalaivas, but since then, under Ashan Kumar, the Thalaivas looked different, destructive at times and are on the verge of assuring a spot in the final six

A lot to look forward to in this contest, and these two teams could even meet in the knockouts, if the table stays like this at the end of the league phase on Saturday