Playoffs berth on the line for U.P. Yoddha when they battle Bengal Warriors

The final game of the league stages of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 6 sees Bengal Warriors host U.P. Yoddha at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium on Thursday. Patna Pirates’ defeat last night means a win against Bengal Warriors will send U.P. Yoddha through to the Playoffs. Bengal Warriors, on the other hand, stand a chance to end the league as Zone B leaders should they pull off a win - provided Bengaluru Bulls lose their fixture earlier in the evening.

Both Bengal Warriors and U.P. Yoddha’s encounters this campaign have finished in ties, making this a tie-breaker between the two zonal rivals.

Match 132 (Zone B): Bengal Warriors vs. U.P. Yoddha

Head-to-head: Bengal Warriors 2-0 U.P. Yoddha. 3 ties.

Form Guide

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Points Scored – 34.6

Average Points Conceded – 29.8

Best Raider – Maninder Singh

Best Defender – Surjeet Singh

Stats from the last five matches

Average Points Scored – 32.6

Average Points Conceded – 27.4

Best Raider – Prashanth Kumar Rai

Best Defender – Nitesh Kumar

The big battle

Maninder Singh vs. Nitesh Kumar

Following his 16-raid point performance against Bengaluru Bulls last night, Bengal Warriors’ Maninder Singh surpassed his previous highest tally of 190 in a VIVO Pro Kabaddi season, leaving him just 4 raid points shy of his first ever campaign with 200 raid points. Maninder has been soul of the Bengal Warriors’ offence and has scored over a 100 raid points more than the next best raider in the roster. During Bengal Warriors’ home leg, Maninder has notched up 55 raid points in five fixtures at an average of 11.00, which is better than what he has managed this campaign.

U.P. Yoddha’s Nitesh Kumar has arguably been the best Right Corner defender in VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 6 and is currently involved in a three-man battle for the Best Defender Award with Parvesh Bhainswal and Fazel Atrachali. His average of 3.67 tackle points ranks second in the league while his tally of seven Super Tackles is bettered by only two other defenders. His 44 tackle assists are also the second most by a U.P. Yoddha player this campaign, showcasing his all-round contribution to the team’s defence.

Kumar has guarded the right side of U.P. Yoddha’s defence with authority this campaign while Maninder has been the driving force for his team in offence. In their seven career duels so far, Maninder has gotten the better of Nitesh on five occasions while the Right Corner has tackled the prolific raider twice in his career. The outcome of the matchup between these two outstanding performers will likely be a huge factor in deciding the result of this fixture.

Key Khiladi

PO Surjeet Singh – Bengal Warriors

Bengal Warriors’ Right Cover PO Surjeet Singh has hit top form in his team’s home leg over the past week, scoring 15 tackle points in five appearances. With the Playoffs right around the corner, Surjeet will be aiming to finish the league stages on a high against a U.P. Yoddha offence that boasts of a strong raiding trio of Prashanth Kumar Rai, Rishank Devadiga and Shrikant Jadhav.

Prashanth Kumar Rai – U.P. Yoddha

Speaking of Rai, the raider has been in scintillating form in U.P. Yoddha’s five match unbeaten run, scoring 49 raid points at a spectacular average of 9.80 during that period. Given his proficiency in scoring the bonus point and his current form, U.P. Yoddha will be relying on the raider to lead the offence against an in-form Bengal Warriors team.