PKL 11: Key battles to watch out for in Match 77, UP Yoddhas vs Tamil Thalaivas

UP Yoddhas have won three of their four matches in PKL 11.

UP Yoddhas have found their form back in their home leg of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 (PKL 11). The Yoddhas have been unbeaten in their previous four matches, with wins against Telugu Titans, Tamil Thalaivas and Patna Pirates and a draw against reigning champions Puneri Paltan.

With this upturn in their form, the Yoddhas have climbed their way back up on the PKL 11 table, sitting in the seventh position with 38 points from 12 matches, having secured six wins and a draw. They have lost five matches and have the fourth-best score difference in the league with a score of +41.

Tamil Thalaivas haven’t had it easy in the league since their first two wins of the season. After winning their season opener against Telugu Titans and then beating the defending champions Puneri Paltan, the team coached by Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Udaya Kumar has secured only two wins from their next 10 matches in the league. One of the losses in this abysmal run has come against their upcoming opponent, UP Yoddhas. The Thalaivas sit ninth in the PKL 11 table with just four wins from 12 matches and 28 points.

The loss of form and poor run of the two teams in the first two legs of the league could be attributed to their star raiders not performing consistently or at all. While for the Yoddhas, Surinder Gill has been a no-show throughout the tournament, except for a match against Bengaluru Bulls, Bharat Hooda has also found it tough to score touchpoints consistently, often relying on the bonus points.

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They have however been saved by the emergence of Bhavani Rajpoot, who now has four consecutive Super 10s to his name in the league, and Gagan Gowda, who starred in the revenge win over Patna Pirates. 

As for the Tamil Thalaivas, after starting the season well, both Sachin Tanwar and Narender Hoshiyar Kandola have looked helpless. Sachin has struggled to the point where the team has had to make him sit out of a lot of matches recently, much like Surinder Gill has been made to for the Yoddhas.

Moein Shafagi and Vishal Chahal have been tried by the team with faith still being shown in the young Narender Kandola. However, the team continues to struggle.

The defence has been a saving face for the Tamil Thalaivas as they have what could statistically be called the best defence in the league. The likes of Sahil Gulia, Nitesh Kumar and Amir Hossein Bastami collectively contribute to almost 13 points per match through tackles.

The defence of the Yoddhas may not be as good as the Thalaivas’, but they also have found form in recent matches, having collected 14 points against the Pirates and the Thalaivas.

While the UP Yoddhas may have gotten the better of the Thalaivas in the previous fixture, it would be foolish to count Dharmaraj Chelarathan’s team out in the reverse fixture. We take a look at the key battles that could decide the fate of the reverse fixture.

Bhavani Rajput vs Nitesh Kumar

Bhavani Rajput is perhaps one of the most in-form raiders in the league right now, having scored four Super 10s in as many matches, as aforementioned. He has picked the team up from difficult positions when Bharat Hooda has been neutralised by the opponents, proving that he is more than just the support raider. 

Nitesh Kumar has been the unstated leader of the defence of the Thalaivas. He has the fourth most tackle points in the league so far, with 42 points. He has the most High 5s in the league this season. Both Nitesh and Bhavani scored a High 5 and a Super 10 respectively in the previous fixture.

Hitesh vs Narender Kandola

Hitesh has amicably replaced the experienced Nitesh Kumar and has been perhaps the best signing for the Yoddhas this season. The youngster has shared the workload with Sumit Sangwan and has 37 points in the league. He has been in great form, having scored high 5s in back-to-back matches.

Narender Kandola needs to pick his form up as the team continues to give him the chance. He will have to do well against the likes of Sumit, Ashu and Hitesh if the Thalaivas are to win the match.

Bharat Hooda vs Amir Hossein Bastami

While Bharat Hooda has done well throughout the season, he too has experienced a slip in form in the previous three matches. He averages less than four points in these matches and has often been caught being too aggressive against the raiders while tackling.

Amir Hossein Bastami is the second highest points collected through tackles for the Thalaivas. Bastami has 28 points from 12 matches and stands 16th in the list of defenders with the most tackle points. The onus will once again be on him to keep Bharat Hooda quiet in the match.

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