Vizag (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 31 : UP Yoddhas will square off against Patna Pirates at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Vizag for their second encounter in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 12 on Monday, at 8:00 pm IST.
The Yoddhas marked a stunning start to their campaign by securing a 40-35 win over Telugu Titans in their season opener, powered by prolific performances by the duo of Gagan Gowda (14 points) and Sumit Sangwan (eight points), as per a PKL press release.
The focus will now be on amplifying this momentum and maximising it to yield optimal results, as the team looks to secure victories and set themselves up for a positive phase early in this edition.
"We always aimed for a strong start, since there's always nervousness before the start of a new campaign. Hence, to kick off with a positive momentum and maintain control over the proceedings was essential. We managed to regain authority over the proceedings in the second half against the Titans. An instant swing in momentum isn't uncommon in kabaddi matches, but to round off the game in our favour was important heading into the next clash against the Patna Pirates," UP Yoddhas assistant coach Upendra Malik said on Saturday.
While the Yoddhas will look to sustain the form they have shown thus far, blending defensive diligence perfectly with offensive dynamism, the Pirates will have a similar objective heading into what is their first match of the campaign. Patna were fairly active at the auction table, securing key on-boards, including Deepak Singh (FBM), Ankit Jaglan (FBM), Sanket Sawant, Maninder Singh, Amin Ghorbani, Mandeep, Sombir, and Balasaheb Shahaji Jadhav.
This encounter brings together two teams with a similar zest and zeal to complete some unfinished business from the previous campaign. Will Monday make a mark in their quest towards that objective? Only time will tell.
Complete Squads
UP Yoddhas
Raiders: Bhavani Rajput, Surender Gill, Keshav Kumar, Gagana Gowda HR (right raider), Shivam Chaudhary (left raider), Jatin (right raider), Pranay Vinay Rane, Dong Geon Lee (F), Guman Singh
Defenders: Ashu Singh (right cover), Jayesh Vikas Mahajan (left corner), Gangaram (left cover), Sachin (right cover), Sahul Kumar (right corner), Sumit (left corner), Hitesh (right corner), Ronak (left cover), Mahender Singh (left cover), Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi (F) (left corner)
Patna Pirates
Raiders: Ayan, Deepak, Sahil Patil, Sudhakar M, Milan, Ankit, Mandeep, Maninder Singh
Defenders: Hamid Mirzaei Nader (F), Navdeep, Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj, Saurabh, Prianshu, Sombir, Balasaheb Shahaji Jadhav (right cover), Amin Ghorbani (F) (right corner), Sanket Sawant (left cover), Deepak Rajender Singh (right cover).