PKL 11: Key battles to watch out for in match 20 UP Yoddhas vs Gujarat Giants

Both teams are coming after losing their previous match.

UP Yoddhas have made a great start to their PKL 11 campaign. They secured two wins in their first two games before going down by a small margin against Bengal Warriorz. The Yoddhas, thus, have 11 points from three games and placed second on the points table of the Pro Kabaddi League season (PKL 11). Bharat Hooda, Sumit, and Surinder Gill have been the pick of the players from the Jasveer Singh-coached side.

UP Yoddhas rode on the excellent tackling skills of their right corner Sahul Kumar combined with the raiding depth provided by Bhavani Rajpoot against Dabang Delhi. Randhir Singh Sehrawat’s Bengaluru Bulls were a cakewalk for the Yoddhas as they saw both Bharat Hooda and Surinder Gill score Super 10s. 

As far as Gujarat Giants are concerned, their season has started with many surprises. What looked like their strongest department going into the season has left a lot to be desired by the fans and the coaches. The Giants have perhaps the best depth in the raiding lineup with the likes of Parteek Dahiya, Guman Singh and Rakesh Sungroya making the headlines.

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However, only Parteek Dahiya has come any good with the franchise failing to have anyone complete a Super 10 yet in the season. Thus far, the team has won only one of the two games they played, losing to an Amirmohammad Zafardanesh-inspired U Mumba after collecting only 12 points from raids in the game collectively.

Sombir and Jitender Yadav have done well in the defence. Sombir, in particular, has been exceptional in both the games, collecting more than 10 points from tackles in the two games. So, it looks like the upcoming game between the two sides could be very well a battle between the raiding department of UP Yoddhas and the defensive personnel of Gujarat Giants. Here are three battles that could play a role in deciding the fate of the match

Bharat Hooda vs Sombir

Bharat Hooda has been the most in-form raider of the league if we overlook the first game where he blanked. He scored 14 points in the game against Bengaluru Bulls and 13 points against Bengal Warriorz. Sombir on the other hand, like the aforementioned, has amassed six points against Bengaluru Bulls and five against U Mumba.

Bharat Hooda attacks from the left, right, and centre and so Sombir from the right corner would be crucial in putting the locks on the former Bengaluru Bulls man.

Surender Gill vs Jitender Yadav

Surender Gill failed to score more than a point in the game against Bengal Warriorz. His first game wasn’t any great either as Dabang Delhi restricted him to just four raid points. However, the bonus points specialist unleashed the best version of himself and scored 17 points. Against the bonus point specialist, left corner of Gujarat Giants, Jitender Yadav will be crucial as Surinder raids from his right to the left.

Parteek Dahiya vs Sahul Kumar

Sahul Kumar had a High 5 against Dabang Delhi as the right corner of the Yoddhas. However, the defender has shown the versatility of being able to play from the left as well, when needed. Parteek has been the only consistent points scorer for the Giants from raids and he attacks the right with his toe-touch skills. This match-up is the one the Giants would hope the most to have the upper hand on, as a neutralised Parteek Dahiya would mean no one to score points from raids for the Adani Sports Line-owned franchise.

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