UP Yoddha, Telugu Titans play out a thrilling tie

Toughest moment of the match: U.P. Yoddha substitute Sachin Kumar’s tackle in the 38th minute that leveled the scores

In a last minute dramatic twist, a technical point decided the fate of the match between Telugu Titans and U.P.Yoddha as they played out a 20-20 tie in VIVO Pro Kabaddi League season VII.

It was low-scoring yet thrilling contest where the two defences rose to the occasion. Siddharth “Baahubali” Desai top scored for Telugu Titans with 5 raid points. Abozar Mighani scored four tackle points. The defensive duo of Nitesh Kumar and Amit combined, scored 8 tackle points for U.P. Yoddha

Both teams’ star raiders opened their accounts in the first minute as Siddharth “Baahubali” Desai and Monu Goyat made successful raids. Telugu Titans opened up a three-point gap after five minutes to lead 5-2. U.P.Yoddha didn’t relent under pressure and clawed their way back to level the match at 7-7.

U.P. Yoddha’s Shrikant Jadhav reached the 200-raid point mark in VIVO PKL history whereas Siddharth “Baahubali” Desai hit the 250-point mark. Amit put in a terrific strong tackle as U.P.Yoddha trailed 9-11. Shrikant Jadhav completed a do-or-die in the 20th minute as U.P.Yoddha leveled the match at 11-11 at the end of the first half. It was the Desai brothers that did the bulk of the scoring for Titans in the first half as they combined scored 7 raid points.

The second half saw both teams starting a bit cagily as they traded raided and tackle points. After 29 minutes, the score was level at 14 points apiece. The match was a fine example of how tough the league has become and the defensive units of teams have become stronger. Raiders from both U.P.Yoddha and Telugu Titans were kept quiet by both the defences.

It came to two critical do-or-die raids and while Siddharth “Baahubali” Desai made a successful one, Monu Goyat failed to do so. With less than five minutes to go, Telugu Titans led 18-15. U.P.Yoddha first forced a super tackle and then got a raid point to level the match at 18-18 in the 36th minute. With less than two minutes to go, both teams were level at 19-19 and it looked like the match was heading for a tie. It looked like Siddharth “Baahubali” Desai had won the match for the Titans but his teammates rushed to the court which led to U.P.Yoddha being awarded a technical point, ending the match with a tie – 20 – 20.