Telugu Titans Vs U.p. Yoddhas 20 January 2024

Full-Time
Telugu Titans 49 - 32 UP Yoddhas

Joy for the fans who have thronged to the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium as the Telugu Titans win for only the 2nd time this season, breaking a 7-match losing streak to thrash the UP Yoddhas 49-32, outclassing them in pretty much every way possible.

Pawan Sehrawat was on fire, scoring 15 raid points on the night, but the real star was Omkar Patil. The youngster put in two Super Raids, scoring nine raid points and getting tackled only once. For the Yoddhas, Pardeep didn't get support for most of the match, and when it did come from Gagana Gowda in the 2nd half, Pardeep himself kept getting tackled.

However, it was the defense that made the real difference for the Titans, with the entire team chipping in with tackle points. Mohit and Sandeep in the two corners combined to deliver seven tackle points, with the rest of the side adding another six to the tally. 

However, the Yoddhas could score only seven tackle points, and made far too many errors and as a result, conceded three all-outs to their opponents. A thoroughly disappointing performance from their end as they now suffer 7 successive defeats.

The Titans will look to build on this momentum when they take on the Haryana Steelers next on Monday night, while the Yoddhas have a week's break before they're in action next. 

Super 10s for both Pawan Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal the highlight in a fairly one-sided contest to wrap up this Super Saturday. Until next time, this is Shreyas signing off. Good Night!

2nd Half, 40'
Telugu Titans 49 - 32 UP Yoddhas

Omkar Patil gets another raid point, his 9th of the night, with under 60 seconds to play.

However, he doesn't get another opportunity to raid and the match ends with Pardeep Narwal taking an easy point escaping from Pawan's weak challenge to get his Super 10, but little does that matter as the Yoddhas succumb to a crushing 17-point defeat as the Titans break their 7-match losing run.

2nd Half, 39'
Telugu Titans 48 - 30 UP Yoddhas

12th tackle point of the night for the Titans, and it's the substitute Hamid Nader this time around with the challenge on Anil Kumar. Gagana Gowda gets a handy bonus point, his 7th raid point of the night, before Pawan is dashed off court by Harendra Kumar.

However, the Titans' defense hit right back, and it's Mohit Rathee this time around with an audacious advanced challenge on Gagana Gowda.

2nd Half, 37'
Telugu Titans 46 - 28 UP Yoddhas

Neither team forces the issue and are content to play on the Do-or-die raid before Gagana Gowda adds another point to his tally with a touch point on Sandeep Dhull.

With the deficit down to 15 and Sanjeevi coming in for the do-or-die raid with four men on the mat for the Titans, the Yoddhas had a chance to make a mini-comeback. However, he does really well to get a bonus point before an unnecessary advance tackle allows him to get away with a Super Raid.

2nd Half, 34'
Telugu Titans 43 - 27 UP Yoddhas

Gagana Gowda picks up his 5th raid point of the night with a neat escape from the left corner. A do-or-die raid comes up for the Titans, and Omkar Patil is entrusted with the responsibility.

However, he's brought down by Nitin Panwar in the right corner as his knee hold makes the raider lose his balance. That's the first time he's tackled tonight, he's been a revelation today! Anil Kumar then gets a quick touch point as Mohit goes in with an impulsive challenge.

2nd Half, 32'
Telugu Titans 43 - 24 UP Yoddhas

Pardeep Narwal is a dangerous raider in the last ten minutes and he shows that instantly, putting in a smooth dubki to escape from Parvesh Bhainswal's challenge. However, Pawan has been so good this evening, and he races across the court to get the running hand touch low on Hitesh's leg.

Pardeep is then caught off-guard by another solid diving ankle hold from Mohit Rathee in the right corner.

2nd Half, 30'
Telugu Titans 41 - 23 UP Yoddhas

Pawan Sehrawat concedes a cheap point with a late challenge immediately after the all-out but is quickly revived as Anil Kumar falls to a successful challenge from Omkar More. He then makes it look so easy by picking up another touch point, this time on Nitin Panwar, as the whistle blows for the time-out!
 
A huge 18-point lead for the Titans, and Pawan Sehrawat is on 14 raid points, with his opposite number Pardeep only on 7. Can the Yoddhas pull off a miracle to get the deficit under seven and take anything from this match? 

2nd Half, 27'
Telugu Titans 39 - 21 UP Yoddhas

Sandeep Dhull is back on the mat, and he puts in a monstrous back hold on Gagana Gowda to reduce the Yoddhas to four men.

It's a Do-or-die raid for the Titans next and Pawan takes up the responsibility and puts in a brilliant raid. Nitin Panwar gets a strong hold on Pawan, and the support comes in from Anil, but Pawan, despite being off-balance, manages to find the gap between the defenders to get his hand past the mid-line.

Pardeep can't break out of Sanjeevi's strong challenge, and just like that, the Yoddhas are down to one, and it's a simple surrender raid for Pawan Sehrawat to take their third all-out of the match! The Titans are flying!

2nd Half, 25'
Telugu Titans 32 - 19 UP Yoddhas

Gagana Gowda the substitute has an instant impact for the Yoddhas! Sandeep Dhull goes in strong on the youngster and gets support Omkar More, but Gagana uses his reach to good advantage, just getting his hand past the mid-line in the nick of time.

At the other end, though, another young raider is having a wonderful game, and it's none other than Omkar Patil. A second Super Raid for the youngster, and this time, he strikes the right side of the UP defense.

Hitesh puts in the challenge, but once again, Omkar anticipates the challenge and changes his direction quickly, gets a touch on Harendra Kumar through to the mid-line.

2nd Half, 22'
Telugu Titans 29 - 17 UP Yoddhas

2nd all-out of the match, and this one too goes the way of the Telugu Titans, who take their lead to 11 points now. Pawan gets a touch on Sumit in a 1v2 situation, and Harendra Kumar stands no chance against the Titans' defensive unit as they execute the easiest of tackles to start this 2nd half on a positive note.

Pawan Sehrawat then gets his Super 10, escaping easily from an ambitious tackle from the right-in Anil Kumar.

Half-Time
Telugu Titans 24 - 16 UP Yoddhas

The way this game started, it looked like it'd be a real battle between Pawan Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal, but midway through the match, it's the Titans' captain who seemed to have pulled well ahead, with eight raid points and one tackle point, and it reflects in the scoreline as the Titans take an 8-point lead into the break.

Both teams started out going all guns blazing in the raiding department, but slowly the defense entered the picture, with Mohit and Sandeep doing well for the Titans while Hitesh has done most of the work for the Yoddhas.

However, Omkar Patil's four-point raid seems to have swung the game the way of the Titans, and that has been the difference between the two teams as Pawan has gotten support in the raiding department, while Pardeep hasn't had that luxury.

Can the Yoddhas make a 2nd-half comeback or will the Titans register only their 2nd win of the campaign?

1st Half, 20'
Telugu Titans 24 - 16 UP Yoddhas

Pawan Sehrawat toys with Kiran Magar for almost an entire raid before drawing a false tackle from the defender and escaping with a point to reduce the Yoddhas to just two men right at the stroke of half-time. Even as Anil Kumar picks up a handy bonus point before the whistle blows, the Titans take an 8-point lead into half-time!

1st Half, 19'
Telugu Titans 23 - 15 UP Yoddhas

Two successive do-or-die raids, and once again, it's the Titans who're back on top. Omkar Patil seems to be brimming with confidence as he gets a touch on Ashu Singh on the left corner and retreats to the mid-line with ease.

In the Yoddhas' do-or-die raid, Pardeep isn't able to get a point twice in a row, and this time around, Parvesh Bhainswal commits to a challenge and gets the timing right to stop the 'Dubki King' right in his tracks. 

1st Half, 17'
Telugu Titans 21 - 15 UP Yoddhas

The Yoddhas' defense seems to be having a pretty inconsistent day. Right after conceding that 4-point raid, they send Pawan Sehrawat back to the bench, and it's Hitesh once again. Already up to 4 tackle points is the right corner from the Yoddhas.

In the raiding department, Pardeep pulls out a surprise and settles for a bonus point in a do-or-die raid, and gets it! That's not something you see very often.

1st Half, 15'
Telugu Titans 21 - 13 UP Yoddhas

What a raid that is from Omkar Patil! Lunges deep into the left side of the UP defense looking for the bonus, and the defense gets their timing all wrong, going in for the tackle when he's already moving toward the mid-line. Omkar's pace proves too much, and guess what, he takes three defenders along with him as well as a bonus point.

It's a Super Raid, and the Titans' lead goes up to 8!

1st Half, 14'
Telugu Titans 17 - 13 UP Yoddhas

There's a hold-up in play as the Titans take a review. Pardeep Narwal goes down to another stellar diving ankle hold from Mohit Rathee. However, he is adjudged to have stepped out the end-line before the tackle.

The Titans review, and the replays look really close. His foot appears to slide past the end-line, but did the rear part of his shoe touch the mat past the end-line or was it in the air? The TV umpire concludes that it's the former. Review unsuccessful and Pardeep gets a life!

1st Half, 13'
Telugu Titans 17 - 12 UP Yoddhas

Both defenses doing all the talking in this 2nd half. Pawan Sehrawat's leap isn't enough to get away from the clutches of an in-form Hitesh in the Yoddhas' right corner. Anil Kumar is tackled by another well-timed ankle hold from Sandeep Dhull.

Nitin Panwar then immediately pulls one back, tackling Sanjeevi S with a mighty block.

1st Half, 10'
Telugu Titans 15 - 10 UP Yoddhas

Second time's the charm for Pawan Sehrawat and the Gachibowli erupts as the Titans get their first all-out of the match! The Yoddhas have a do-or-die raid in which the substitute Vijay Malik is tackled with ease by Mohit Rathee.

Pawan is revived, and this time, he makes no mistake, escaping from the clutches of Sumit and Harendra Kumar. The latter put in a strong diving knee hold, but it was closer to the mid-line, and Pawan used his strength to power his way to the mid-line.

Pardeep Narwal picks up another regulation running hand touch on the left cover as the whistle blows for the first timeout in what has been a very fast-paced game. Can the Titans extend this lead before half-time?

1st Half, 8'
Telugu Titans 10 - 8 UP Yoddhas

Well, Pawan Sehrawat is having a wonderful outing so far. Apart from his raiding exploits, he also executes a perfect diving double ankle hold to bring Pardeep Narwal down. The Titans are on the ascendancy now.

At the other end, Pawan is tackled by Sumit, but not before he steps out of bounds. Another self-out this for the Yoddhas, they've been gifting points all game.

As Shivam Chaudhary is tackled by Sandeep Dhull, the Yoddhas get reduced to two men on the mat, and Pawan Sehrawat sniffs an all-out, but Hitesh in the Yoddhas' right corner says not yet! The youngster puts in a ferocious dash to pretty much wrestle the Hi-Flyer off the court single-handedly. Some tackle that!

1st Half, 6'
Telugu Titans 7 - 5 UP Yoddhas

Pawan continues his onslaught as the Yoddhas' defense concede some freebies to the Hi-Flyer. The first tackle point of the night goes to the Titans as Mohit Rathee comes across with a well-timed block-dash to subdue Anil Kumar.

1st Half, 4'
Telugu Titans 4 - 4 UP Yoddhas

The Titans get their first point of the night as Shivam Chaudhary steps into the lobby without getting a touch. Pawan Sehrawat opens his account in a pressure do-or-die raid. The Titans' captain escapes superbly from Sumit's ankle hold, also getting a touch on the right corner through to the mid-line, not to mention the bonus point he expertly picks up.

Pardeep then hits back with a wonderful escape through the chain of Sandeep Dhull and Ajit Pawar.

The points are flowing freely at both ends in an extremely open start to the game. Both Pardeep and Pawan mean business here.

1st Half, 2'
Telugu Titans 0 - 2 UP Yoddhas

Comfortable start that for the Yoddhas as Pardeep gets the running hand touch on Ajit Pawar in the left cover. He seems to be back in form today. At the other end, Pawan can only put in an empty raid.

Pardeep's follow-up raid isn't as successful as Omkar R comes across with a successful block, but in his attempt to assist his teammate, Sandeep Dhull steps past the mid-line, conceding another point to the Yoddhas.

Pardeep Narwal to raid first and we have live action!

It's Pawan Sehrawat vs Pardeep Narwal coming up! We're only a couple of minutes away from what should be a blockbuster encounter.

Check out how these two teams have fared when they crossed paths in the past:

Here are three key player battles to keep an eye on throughout the match:

Finding it hard to make your Dream11 teams with players from these two under-performing sides? Worry not as we have you covered. Take a look at Sportskeeda's Dream11 prediction for this contest:

Team News

Here are the starting lineups of both teams:

Telugu Titans: Pawan Sehrawat (C), Omkar Patil, Sanjeevi S, Ajit Pawar, Mohit Rathee, Sandeep Dhull, and Omkar R.

UP Yoddhas: Pardeep Narwal (C), Anil Kumar, Shivam Chaudhary, Ashu Singh, Harendra Kumar, Hitesh, and Sumit.

Both teams make changes to their starting lineup from their previous encounter. Anil Kumar replaces Gagana Gowda in the Yoddhas' starting 7 as left cover Harendra Kumar inexplicably continues to start ahead of Gurdeep.

For the Titans, both Sanjeevi S and Omkar Patil get promoted from the bench into the starting 7 to support Pawan Sehrawat in the raiding department.

Preview

Welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of the tenth season of the Pro Kabaddi League. We're on Day 2 of the Hyderabad leg of PKL 10 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, and in the second match of a Saturday double-header, the hosts Telugu Titans take on fellow strugglers UP Yoddhas.

At face value, this is a battle between Pawan 'Hi-Flyer' Sehrawat and Pardeep 'Record-Breaker' Narwal, but sadly, these two raiders, arguably two of the best in PKL history, are part of teams languishing at the bottom of the table. The Titans are on a 7-match losing streak, with the latest loss coming yesterday at the hands of the Bengaluru Bulls as they let a first half lead slip and conceded three all-outs to eventually lose by 16 points.

The Yoddhas are also on a 6-match losing streak, and while they fared slightly better against the Patna Pirates in their last encounter yesterday, losing 31-34, they haven't looked confident for a while now, and they'll want Pardeep Narwal to be more consistent with his performances as he has blown quite hot and cold so far.

With two teams on absolutely shambolic runs, something has to give, and we could see an intense and thrilling contest tonight. So sit back and relax as I, Shreyas, bring you all the live action.