Rampaging Warriors bring down Yoddha a peg or two

Bengal Warriors had put on an impressive display against Telugu Titans in their first match of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5, and they were looking to do the same at Nagpur’s Mankapur Indoor Stadium on Sunday, whereas newcomers UP Yoddha were looking to continue their great run and register their third straight win this season.

Nitin Tomar won the toss and chose his side of the mat. Maninder Singh and Surender Singh started the raiding for the Warriors and the Yoddha respectively but both ended empty. The first point of the match was picked up by the Warriors’ Jang Kun Lee through a touch, and captain Tomar picked up Yoddha’s first point in a similar fashion. After this the Warriors hit top gear and soon inflicted their first All-Out on U.P. Yoddha in the 8th minute. A series of do-or-die raids later, the Warriors unleashed another All-Out on the Yoddha in the 19th minute.

However, the worst was yet to come as Tomar had to be substituted just before halftime for a right ankle injury and Santhosh B.S. entered the mat. The first half ended at 22-8, with the Warriors in a comfortable 14-point lead.

Desperate, the Yoddha made two substitutions as Hadi Tajik and Rohit Kumar were introduced in the second half. Rajesh Narwal went in to raid for them but nothing came of it. A couple of do-or-die raids later, Bengal’s dominance reached another level as they brought up the third All-Out. The score now read 34-12 in favour of Bengal.

The trend continued. In the 39th minute, Warriors star all-rounder Ran Singh picked up a High 5, and even though Yoddha managed to collect two points towards the end, it meant nothing and the match ended 40-20. This was the biggest victory margin yet, in VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5.

The fierce Warriors now meet the home team Bengaluru Bulls at Nagpur on August 9, while U.P. Yoddha travel to Ahmedabad to meet Telugu Titans on August 12.