Two teams seeking redemption clash as UP Yoddhas lock horns with Jaipur Pink Panthers in Match 31 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 at the SMS Indoor Stadium, Jaipur. Both sides are coming off losses and have had mixed starts to the season. The battle between two of the league’s most exciting young raiders — Gagan Gowda and Nitin Kumar — promises to be the highlight of this encounter.

Probable Starting 7

UP Yoddhas
 Right Corner – Hitesh
 Right In – Bhavani Rajput
 Right Cover – Ashu Singh
 Centre – Guman Singh
 Left Cover – Mahender Singh
 Left In – Gagan Gowda
 Left Corner – Sumit (C)

Jaipur Pink Panthers
 Right Corner – Deepanshu Khatri
 Right In – Ali Choubtarash
 Right Cover – Aashish
 Centre – Nitin Kumar
 Left Cover – Reza Mirbagheri
 Left In – Uday Kumar
 Left Corner – Aryan Kumar

Headlines

➢ Both teams are coming off defeats
➢ Jaipur Pink Panthers aim to avenge the Eliminator 1 loss from PKL 11
➢ Gagan Gowda leading UP’s raiding department
➢ Sumit remains among the league’s top defenders
➢ Hitesh and Mahender must step up for UP defence
➢ Nitin Kumar carrying Jaipur’s raiding load
➢ Jaipur’s defence still not clicking this season
➢ Jaipur Pink Panthers yet to register 10+ tackle points in any match this season

Top Stories of the Match

Two Young Raiders – Nitin Kumar and Gagan Gowda in the Spotlight

  • Both teams have had up-and-down campaigns and are looking to bounce back after recent defeats.
  • The major positive for both has been their young lead raiders, who have delivered consistently.
  • Gagan Gowda and Nitin Kumar are among just 6 raiders this season, averaging 10+ raid points per game.
  • Gagan has the best raid SR among all raiders with at least 20 raid points and has been a bonus-picking machine, leading the league in bonus points.
  • He scored 8 bonus points alone in his last match against Puneri Paltan.
  • Both Nitin and Gagan are clutch performers, sitting in the top two for most raid points scored in the final 10 minutes of matches this season.
  • Gagan excels when there are 6–7 defenders on the mat, while Nitin thrives when there are 4–5.
  • Guman Singh has been a reliable secondary raider for UP, while Bhavani Rajput has struggled to get going.
  • Guman also has an excellent record against Jaipur and will look to continue it.
  • For Jaipur, Ali Choubtarash has chipped in, but Nitin has shouldered a heavy raiding load, contributing the second-highest raid point % of any player to his team this season.

Team Stories

UP Yoddhas – PKL 12 So Far

M#3 vs Telugu Titans: Won 40–35
M#7 vs Patna Pirates: Won 34–31
M#16 vs Haryana Steelers: Lost 32–37
M#26 vs Puneri Paltan: Lost 32–43

  • UP began brightly with two wins but has since lost two in a row, slipping to the lower half of the table.
  • Gagan Gowda and Sumit have been their standout performers, while others have lacked consistency.
  • They were outplayed by Puneri Paltan in their last game, and Bhavani Rajput has struggled to replicate his PKL 11 form.

Sumit Leading the Yoddhas’ Defence from the Front

  • Sumit is currently leading the league in average tackle points per game.
  • However, he had a rare off-day against Puneri Paltan, finishing with no tackle points and a tackle SR below 65% for the first time this season.
  • Despite that, his consistency across all three Defender-in-Play (DIP) situations has been key.
  • His tackle SR of 67% with 6–7 defenders on the mat is the third best in the league among defenders with 10+ tackles in that situation.
  • Sumit is on track for a sixth straight 50+ tackle point season.
  • While the left corner-right cover combo of Sumit-Ashu has been solid, the right corner-left cover duo of Hitesh-Mahender has underperformed — most left raiders (Vijay Malik, Aditya Shinde, Ayan) have excelled against UP.

Jaipur Pink Panthers – PKL 12 So Far

M#10 vs Patna Pirates: Won 39–36
M#13 vs Telugu Titans: Lost 32–37
M#20 vs Dabang Delhi: Lost 35–36
M#24 vs Gujarat Giants: Won 30(1)–30(0) [Golden Raid]
M#29 vs Bengaluru Bulls: Lost 23–28

  • Jaipur have struggled to build momentum, following each win with a loss.
  • Two of their matches came down to the final raid, with Nitin winning one and losing one for them.
  • Nitin had 4 consecutive Super 10s before falling short in the last game.
  • Their raiding has been decent, but the defence has been the main letdown so far this season.

Defence Not Clicking for Jaipur This Season

  • Jaipur have the lowest average tackle points in the league this season.
  • They are the only team yet to register 10+ tackle points in any match.
  • Even in their close loss to Bengaluru Bulls, their defence couldn’t step up despite a slightly improved tackle SR.
  • Experienced defenders like Nitin Rawal and Reza Mirbagheri have decent SRs but haven’t attempted enough tackles, while Rawal has been benched for the last two games.
  • Jaipur especially struggle when they have 6–7 defenders on the mat — the exact situation where Gagan Gowda excels with the second-best raid SR (20+ raid pts) in the league.

Head-to-Head in PKL

  • Overall: Matches – 14 | UP Yoddhas – 7 | Jaipur Pink Panthers – 7
  • Since PKL 9: Matches – 7 | UP Yoddhas – 3 | Jaipur Pink Panthers – 4
  • UP Yoddhas beat Jaipur Pink Panthers by 28 points in the Eliminator of PKL 11.

Key Player Battles

UP Yoddhas’ Raiders vs Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Defenders
 Guman Singh 11 – 6 Gaurav Khatri
 Guman Singh 16 – 11 Reza Mirbagheri
 Gagan Gowda 2 – 0 Reza Mirbagheri

Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Raiders vs UP Yoddhas’ Defenders
 Nitin Kumar 2 – 3 Sumit
 Nitin Kumar 6 – 2 Ashu Singh

What to Expect

This clash pits two teams desperate to return to winning ways.
 Expect a high-intensity duel between Gagan Gowda and Nitin Kumar — both prolific, both clutch in the final moments.
 The game could hinge on how well UP’s defence handles Nitin and whether Jaipur’s struggling defence can find answers to Gagan’s bonus-heavy style.
 If Sumit fires again, UP may have the edge, but if Jaipur’s defence finally clicks, they could pull off a crucial win.

Match Details

  • Match: UP Yoddhas vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – Match 31, PKL Season 12
  • Date: Saturday, 13th September 2025
  • Time: 7:30 PM IST
  • Venue: SMS Indoor Stadium, Jaipur
  • Live Streaming: Watch live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar. For live scores and updates, visit prokabaddi.com or download the Pro Kabaddi Official App.

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U.P. YoddhaJaiPro Kabaddi League Season 12, 2025 FeaturesNewsMatch PreviewsEnglish