Sachin’s sensational raiding powers Patna Pirates past U.P. Yoddha

A Super 10 from Sachin and a High 5 from Mohammadreza Chiyaneh saw the Patna Pirates beat U.P. Yoddha 37-35. Surender Gill and Shrikant Jadhav combined to score 19 points for U.P., but the duo couldn’t help their side from slumping to a fourth straight loss. With this win, the Pirates closed the gap to league leaders Dabang Delhi to just three points.

U.P. Yoddha were in the ascendancy early and raced to a 5-2 lead, courtesy of three points from Surender Gill and one each from Nitesh Kumar and Shrikant Jadhav. With his team struggling to get going, Sachin shouldered the responsibility of bringing the Pirates back into the game. The raider picked up four raid points in three raid attempts to help his side level the scores.

Guman and Neeraj Kumar’s assured Chain Tackle on Surender saw Patna take the lead for the first time in the match. Sachin then reduced U.P. to just a couple of players on the mat with another two-point raid. A touch point and a Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Ankle Hold took care of both players, as Patna inflicted the game’s first All Out and took a 13-8 lead.

The Pirates continue to pile the points on the scoreboard, as Prashanth Kumar and Guman Singh added to their tally before Sajin pinned down Aman to leave U.P. with just three men on the mat. But U.P. did not succumb to the pressure on this occasion. The defence Super Tackled Sachin to revive Surender, and he delivered a two-point to help his side claw their way back into the game. Rai scored the final point of the half to ensure the Pirates go into halftime, leading 20-15.

U.P. got off to the perfect start in the second half, as Surender escaped a tackle attempt with a Dubki and managed to tag another defender en route to the midline to leave the Pirates with just two players on the mat. A self-out from Rai left Patna with only Sajin on the mat, and Surender picked up a touch point off the defender to inflict an All Out and level the scores at 21-21.

U.P. then embarked on a 3-0 run to take control of proceedings. With the team pegged on the backfoot, Sachin and Mohammadreza came to the fore and helped their side cut the deficit to one. The raider then levelled the score with his 11th raid point of the night before Shubham Kumar, and Ashu combined to pin down Sahil and help the Pirates reclaim the lead. 

Sachin’s 12th raid point of the night reduced U.P. to a solitary man on the mat. U.P. subbed on Pardeep Narwal to revive a player or two, but the raider was only afforded the bonus before being swarmed by the Pirates defence, which inflicted an All Out and pushed Patna’s lead up to four.

U.P. tried to mount a comeback, but two stellar tackles from Mohammadreza ended their hopes of a victory. Shrikant picked up two points in the game’s last raid, but it was too little, too late, as Patna won the game by two points.

Top Performers

Patna Pirates

Best Raider – Sachin (12 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Mohammadreza Chiyaneh (5 Tackle Points)

U.P. Yoddha 

Best Raider – Surender Gill (10 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Nitesh Kumar (3 Tackle Points)