Bengaluru Bulls put on a great show to win against U.P. Yoddhas by a scoreline of 38-35 in a high-pressure game at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad to qualify for the playoffs of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 on Sunday. The Bengaluru Bulls trio of Bharat (8 points), Vikash Kandola (6 points) and Neeraj Narwal (5 points) did enough to get their team over the finish line and into the playoffs.

Both teams went into the game with the knowledge that a win would see them qualify for the playoffs, and in the early stages, there was little to separate them. Soon, though, Bharat's influence on the game grew and U.P. Yoddhas, reduced in numbers, stared at an All-Out. Two consecutive Super Tackles by Gurdeep, the second on Bharat, delayed the outcome.

But eventually, Bengaluru Bulls inflicted the first All-Out of the game to take a slender 13-10 lead. Bengaluru Bulls kept the pressure up to increase their lead by two more points, capitalising on some errors by the Yoddhas’ defence to go into halftime holding a 19-14 lead.

Bengaluru Bulls carried the first half momentum into the early part of the second period, and soon enough inflicted a second All-Out on U.P. Yoddhas to surge into a 10-point lead. With Bharat and Neeraj Narwal prolific on the raid, and Saurabh Nandal keeping the defence tight, it looked like they had locked up a victory.  

However, with five minutes to go, the Bengaluru Bulls defence suddenly started leaking points and they were soon staring at an All-Out, with U.P. Yoddhas eyeing a comeback. A Super Tackle by Mahender Singh on Pardeep Narwal stemmed the flow and kept U.P. Yoddhas at bay. That was enough as Bengaluru Bulls held on despite a late All-Out by UP Yoddhas, to clinch a deserving victory. 

Top Performers

Bengaluru Bulls

Best Raider - Bharat (8 Raid Points)

Best Defender - Aman (5 Tackle Points)

U.P. Yoddhas

Best Raider - Pardeep Narwal (10 Raid Points)

Best Defender - Gurdeep (5 Tackle Points)

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 LIVE?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

Related tags:

Pro Kabaddi League Season 9, 2022NewsEnglish