PKL: U Mumba edge Yoddhas with last minute heroics

IMAGE: Action from the PKL match between U Mumba and UP Yoddhas. Photograph: Pro Kabaddi League

Ajit Chouhan and Rohit Raghav shone bright as U Mumba edged out UP Yoddhas 35-33 in a nail-biting contest to open the Noida leg of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Noida Indoor Stadium in Noida on Sunday.

Ajit Chouhan and Rohit Raghav led the charge with 8 points each, overshadowing a valiant Super 10 effort by Bharat Hooda.

In the second match, Haryana Steelers produced a dominant performance to defeat Gujarat Giants 39-23. Mohammadreza Shadloui, Shivam Patare, and Vinay were the key contributors in attack, while Rahul impressed with a High 5 on the defensive end.

The comprehensive victory lifted Haryana Steelers to third position in the standings.

Earlier, UP took a commanding lead early in the first half as the raiders and defenders worked in tandem. This culminated in an impressive ALL OUT inflicted on U Mumba in just the 14th minute.

Shivam Choudhary and Hooda were the main aggressors and were ably supported by stand-in skipper and left-corner defender Sumit.

After their slow start in the first 10 minutes, U Mumba came back strongly to close out the first half. They got the UP Yoddhas ALL-OUT in the 7th minute, which reduced the deficit to just one point with five minutes left in the first half.

This difference was maintained until the very end of the first half, after U Mumba got Hooda out for a Super Tackle. At the end of the first 20 minutes, the score read 17-16.

The script changed in the second half, as U Mumba's raiders complemented the defensive unit led by their skipper Sunil Kumar. However, after their initial blip, UP's raiders dragged their team back into the match.

The U Mumba skipper was the last man standing and was tackled by Sumit as his side was ALL-OUT for a second time in the match.

With the match in the balance, UP Yoddhas took charge of proceedings as Hooda continued his raiding forays. Just when it seemed like U Mumba were on the backfoot, Chouhan and Raghav turned the tide for their team.

In the dying moments, UP Yoddhas were inflicted with an ALL-OUT, which gave U Mumba the lead. This proved enough to seal the victory for the PKL season 2 champions.