Resurgent Puneri Paltan face stern test against U.P. Yoddha

On Thursday, the in-form Puneri Paltan will take on the Record-Breaker Pardeep Narwal and U.P. Yoddha.  

The Paltan are looking to cut the gap to the top six on the vivo Pro Kabaddi points table, while U.P. could ascend to second with a win.

Check out our preview for the contest:

Match 79: U.P. Yoddha vs Puneri Paltan

U.P. Yoddha’s five-game unbeaten streak came to a screeching halt after their narrow defeat against the Haryana Steelers in their previous outing. Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives for U.P. In Surender Gill’s absence, Shrikant Jadhav stepped up and scored a Super 10 to ensure his team had the chance to win the game till the last raid of the contest. Young Shubham Kumar had a terrific outing and finished the game with four tackle points in a rather rough night for U.P.’s defence. Pardeep Narwal also had a quiet outing and could only score six points. He’ll be itching to get on the mat and deliver a big performance to help his side climb to second on the points table.

After looking down and out for a large portion of the season, the Puneri Paltan have risen from their ashes and have given themselves a terrific chance of making it to the playoffs. They have won two games on the trot and could find themselves just five points behind third-placed Haryana Steelers with a win on Thursday. The key to their resurgence has been the form of young raiding duo Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat. The latter has scored a Super 10 in each of his last two matches, and a third on the trot would go a long way in helping Pune get within striking distance of a playoff spot.  

U.P. Yoddha vs Puneri Paltan head-to-head

U.P. Yoddha and Puneri Paltan have met six times in vivo PKL. U.P. has won four while the Paltan have registered two wins. Their first meeting this season finished in a 50-40 win for U.P.

PKL Schedule for Thursday, January 27

Match 77: U.P. Yoddha vs Puneri Paltan, 7:30 PM IST

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi live?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.