Winning momentum on U.P. Yoddha’s side when they take on Tamil Thalaivas

U.P. Yoddha will take on Tamil Thalaivas at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex in Panchkula on Friday in what is a crucial game for both sides. Having played one less match so far, U.P. Yoddha currently sit 4 points clear of Tamil Thalaivas and a victory here will see them close the gap on Bengal Warriors to four points in the Zone B. With Bengal Warriors’ home leg yet to be played, a win will go a long way in U.P. Yoddha’s plans of making the Playoffs.

The two sides have an even head-to-head record this season with both having won one of their previous two matches each. In the previous match, Tamil Thalaivas rode on Manjeet Chhillar’s 8 tackle point performance to seal a 46-24 victory.

Match 113 (Zone B): U.P. Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas

Head-to-head: U.P. Yoddha 2-2 Tamil Thalaivas. 1 Tie.

Form Guide:

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Points Scored – 28.8

Average Points Conceded – 33.6

Best Raider – Shrikant Jadhav

Best Defender – Nitesh Kumar

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Points Scored – 28.8

Average Points Conceded – 32.4

Best Raider – Ajay Thakur

Best Defender – Manjeet Chhillar

The big battle –

Nitesh Kumar vs Ajay Thakur

One of the masters of the Super Tackle, Nitesh Kumar has managed 6 in the season so far. He has not only been U.P. Yoddha’s most successful defender with 67 tackle points from 18 matches but also managed to keep the threat of an All-Out at bay on many occasions for the side. In his side’s previous defeat to Tamil Thalaivas, he was able to pick up just two tackle points, which allowed the opposition raiders to amass 19 raid points. However, he will have to better that performance in the upcoming match since he forms the backbone of the U.P. Yoddha defence and, the High 5 he secured heading into this match would have done confidence a world of good.

Ajay Thakur scored a match-high 9 touch points in the teams’ previous contest which went a long way to ensure that his side were able to clinch victory. Currently sitting fourth in the Best Raiders list for the season, Thakur has ably led the Tamil Thalaivas charge. Thakur comes into this match on the back of a 5-raid-point performance in his side’s match against Bengal Warriors which saw 4 unsuccessful and 9 empty raids being put in by the Tamil Thalaivas skipper. The strong campaigner that he is, he will want to put that performance behind him quickly and, a big return against U.P. Yoddha might help him do just that.

Ajay Thakur has managed to outfox the defender on the four previous occasions that they have met, having allowed just 4 tackle points in 13 attempts to Kumar. Kumar thus averages just 1 tackle point per game against Thakur, which is a far cry from his season average of 3.72 tackle points per game. This contest affords Kumar the opportunity to even this record and, in a season where he is well and truly in contention for the Best Defender title, Kumar will be itching to do just that.

Key Khiladi –

Prashanth Kumar Rai – U.P. Yoddha

Left raider Prashanth Kumar Rai has been vital in his side’s back-to-back victories heading into this contest. He has scored 8 raid points each in both those matches and been the side’s most successful raider. However, Manjeet Chhillar waiting in the Covers won’t make life easy for the raider and he will have to make full use of his good form to overcome the experienced Tamil Thalaivas defence.

Manjeet Chhillar – Tamil Thalaivas

The first man to have crossed 300 tackle points in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history, Manjeet Chhillar has been in inspiring form for Tamil Thalaivas in Season 6. He is currently fifth in the list of Best Defenders for the season and played an important part in his side’s only victory over U.P. Yoddha this season. He averages 6 tackle points per game against U.P. Yoddha this season and will be a vital presence for the Tamil Thalaivas on Saturday.