PKL 11: Key battles to watch out for in match 35, Jaipur Pink Panthers vs UP Yoddhas

Jaipur Pink Panthers and UP Yoddhas have faced consecutive defeats in their last PKL 11 matches.

Jaipur Pink Panthers and UP Yoddhas had a wonderful start to their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 11) season. Both began with two consecutive wins and looked sharp and well-settled as a unit in PKL 11 until the backflow hit them.

After those wins, the Yoddhas and the Pink Panthers have struggled immensely in their matches. Coming against each other on Tuesday, they would want to get back in the winning flow by emphasising the aspects of the game which have worked for them in these last few PKL 11 matches.

UP Yoddhas have lost 3 of their 6 matches and stand in the 3rd position in the PKL 11 points table. Whereas Jaipur Pink Panthers have had a series of collapses in their last 3 matches and have rolled down to the 8th position after being at the top in the beginning. There is a long list of problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible if both of them need to make a comeback in PKL 11.

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For Jaipur Pink Panthers, their captain, Arjun Deshwal, played magnificently in the first 2 matches of PKL 11 where he scored back-to-back Super10. He contributed immensely to both those victories. However, he hasn’t been able to come back in that flow again after a minor injury in their third match against Haryana Steelers.

Deshwal scored 34 points in the first two matches, and just 14 points in the next 3 matches in PKL 11. This has been the issue for the Pink Panthers as their raiding unit hasn’t effective at all. If they need to make a comeback, the raiders must contribute to their upcoming matches.

On the other hand, UP Yoddhas has also been facing a similar problem in PKL 11. Their raiders are also out of form, which has led to their fall in the last few matches. Both Bharat Hooda and Surender Gill’s form has been a big concern as far as the Yoddhas are concerned. This tells us the upcoming story of the match. Whichever team’s raiders come in with a better rhythm will be the favourites in this contest.

Let’s have a look at the player battles to watch out for in the JAI vs UP match, which can massively impact the result of the match.

Arjun Deshwal vs Sumit

Arjun Deshwal’s form in PKL 11 is going to be crucial for the Pink Panthers. Not in just this match, but as a whole in this tournament. Without his form and rhythm, it will get more troublesome for them in every match. However, the good thing is that he is definitely capable of making that comeback and if he does, the opponents will get a tough time out there in the middle.

In the battle against the Yoddhas, Sumit will be the biggest challenge for the Pink Panthers’ captain. Sumit is the most successful defender for the Yoddhas in PKL 11. He has scored 22 tackle points in 6 matches and is the biggest threat to Arjun Deshwal in the upcoming match. If he can put breaks to Deshwal’s raiding prowess, he might take the game in his team’s favour.

Gagan Gowda vs Ankush Rathee

Gagan Gowda has been phenomenal for the UP Yoddhas in the last couple of games. He wasn’t in the starting 7 at the beginning of the season, but with his exceptional contribution to the team against Haryana Steelers, he is now a part of the starting 7. Gowda has scored 18 raid points in the last two games, and 22 points from the 29 raids he did. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his form against the Panthers as well.

Gowda will have to overcome a massive challenge against Jaipur Pink Panthers as their defence has been their strongest virtue this season. He has to go over the likes of Ankush Rathee who has been the best amongst the Pink Panthers’ defence this year. Rathee has scored 14 tackle points in 5 matches and has been extremely consistent, especially in the last few matches. If Rathee can content Gowda, he will allow the Pink Panthers to dominate against the Yoddhas.

Neeraj Narwal vs Hitesh

Neeraj Narwal has played in just 2 matches this season. However, he has been the only raider from the Pink Panthers to leave a mark with his performance. Narwal played his first match of the season against the Steelers as a substitute and scored 3 points there. Later, he was added to the starting 7 in the Pink Panthers’ last outing and he amazed everyone with a Super-10 and has put forward his contention to be the second raider of the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ attack.

Stopping the young raider will be the responsibility of another young defender from the UP Yoddhas. Hitesh has given some great performances and has shown the ability to stop any good raider from scoring points. He has scored 9 points in 6 matches. In the last outing for the Yoddhas, Hitesh scored a High-5 and has sealed his spot in the starting 7 lineup.

The result of the match will depend on how these battles will turn out. You must keep an eye on these players and see who gets to stop whom from getting their team over the line.

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