While both UP Yoddha and Haryana Steelers have 20 points to their kitty, the Yoddha’s are placed at the 7th place in the league standings.
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Riding on the back of a thumping 15 point win and creating a record in Pro Kabaddi League history with a total of 22 defensive points in the 42-27 win over Bengaluru Bulls, UP Yoddha – the GMR group owned franchise – is aiming to continue their winning run against Haryana Steelers on 12th January. While both UP Yoddha and Haryana Steelers have 20 points to their kitty, the Yoddha’s are placed at the 7th place in the league standings while the steelers trail them by a place at 8th.
Statistically, UP Yoddha and Haryana Steelers have faced each other 4 times so far in their PKL journey over the years with both teams edging out each other on two occasions each. However, the Yoddha’s will walk into the match with an advantage, as not only have they defeated the Steelers 37-30 in their last encounter in PKL 7 but also will ride heavily on the confidence that the team has gained in their emphatic 42-27 victory over Bengaluru Bulls in their last game on 9th January. The Steelers, however, will have a lot to prove given their crushing 26-45 defeat to Tamil Thalaivas on 10th January.
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Ahead of the match, Jasveer Singh, head coach, UP Yoddha said, “Our win against Bengaluru Bulls has definitely boosted the morale of our team. Given the high level of competition that we face in the Pro Kabaddi League, this win against the second placed team in the league table was just what we needed to move ahead in the season.”
“I have said earlier that I had no issues with the team’s performance, however we were aware that the team had to click as a unit to convert the draws and nail biting losses into wins, and our last game was a testimony to that. Moving ahead our only aim is to maintain our winning momentum and I am confident that the team will not leave any stone unturned to maintain the winning run against Haryana Steelers.”
While the fabled steely defence of the Yoddha’s came to the fore in the last game but the overall coordination between the attack and defense was the most heartening factor for the Yoddha’s going forward.
Shrikant Jadhav, Surender Gill and Md. Taghi will be the raiders to look out for in the Yoddha’s clash against Haryana Steelers, while the Steelers, will have to do a lot of homework to find a way to invade the rock-solid UP Yoddha defensive line that includes Nitesh, Sumit and Ashu. The match will be broadcast LIVE on Star Sports Network and Hotstar 7:30 PM (IST) onwards.
