PKL 9: UP Yoddhas host a misfiring Tamil Thalaivas side

The team from the south has missed their most expensive signing so far in the league.

Tamil Thalaivas again has started the season on a poor note winning only once in the five matches played along with three losses and a tie. The injury to Pawan Sehrawat has hurt the southern side more due to the lack of experienced players on the mat. In the last match against Bengaluru Bulls, Tamil Thalaivas lost by a huge 15+ points margin with none of the players taking responsibility. Tamil Thalaivas will next face UP Yoddhas in PKL 9.

UP Yoddhas are coming off a defeat against Gujarat Giants in a high-scoring encounter (45-51). Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill both scored super 10s with 17 and 14 points respectively. The raiding has improved by a great margin for the UP Yoddhas side with Pardeep getting back to his original form that he showcased a few seasons ago.

Team News

UP Yoddhas

Raiders: Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, Nitin Tomar, Anil Kumar, Mahipal, Rohit Tomar, Aman, Durgesh Kumar, Rathan K, Gulveer Singh.

All-Rounders: Gurdeep, Nehal Desai, Nitin Panwar

Defenders: Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Ashu Singh, Shubham Kumar, Abozar Mohajermighani, Babu M, Jaideep.

Tamil Thalaivas

Raiders: Pawan Sehrawat, Ajinkya Ashok Pawar, Himanshu, Jatin, Himanshu

All-Rounders: Thanushan Laxmamohan, Visvanath V, K Abhimanyu

Defenders: Sagar, Sahil, M Abishek, Mohit, Himanshu, Ashish, Md Arif Rabbani, Arpit Saroha, Ankit

Head to Head

Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddhas have faced each other in 10 matches in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Tamil Thalaivas have won three matches whereas UP Yoddhas have come out victorious on four occasions with three matches ending in a tie.

Player to Watch

Pardeep Narwal scored a super 10 in the last encounter against Gujarat Giants in PKL 9. Pardeep has been performing well for his stateside at the Senior Nationals which motivated UP Yoddhas to again buy him at the auctions for a hefty amount. The combo of Surender Gill and Pardeep Narwal can create havoc for any side in the PKL and with Tamil Thalaivas in poor form, the UP Yoddhas hold a slight edge of winning.

Sagar from Tamil Thalaivas will need to step up against the raid-heavy UP Yoddhas. The experienced Tamil Thalaivas defender will need to control the defence with Sahil and Abhishek putting in unsuccessful tackles. Pardeep Narwal being a predominant left raider shall be wary of Sagar.

Key to Success

For Tamil Thalaivas the defenders need to step up against Pardeep and Surender Gill. If both the raiders are kept quiet then the southern side will hold a huge advantage. The defence has not been good for the past few matches but needs to step up for them to win this crucial encounter.

The strong defence of UP Yoddhas did not perform well in the last encounter against Gujarat Giants. Both Chandran Ranjith and Rakesh Kumar scored super 10s with 20 and 16 raid points respectively. The corner duo of Sumit and Nitesh have not been at their best with only Ashu performing well in the covers. It is time for captain Nitesh Kumar to step up.

Did you know?

UP Yoddhas remain unbeaten against Tamil Thalaivas since season 7 in the Pro Kabaddi League. The last time Tamil Thalaivas beat UP Yoddhas was way back in November 2018.

Broadcast - PKL 9

Time - 08:30 PM

Streaming - Star Sports / Disney + Hotstar