Bhavani Rajput stole the show to take UP Yoddhas into the semifinals of Pro Kabaddi League season 11 with a thumping 46-18 win over Jaipur Pink Panthers in Pune on Thursday.
The eliminator 1 was a completely one-sided contest as Rajput (12 points) and Hitesh played starring roles with High-5.
UP Yoddhas will now face the Haryana Steelers in the first semifinal on Friday.
It was a cautious start to the playoff stages, with both Jaipur Pink Panthers and UP Yoddhas taking their time to get going.
While all eyes were on Jaipur Pink Panthers' Arjun Deshwal in the early exchanges, the duo of Rajput and Bharat put UP Yoddhas in front.
It took UP Yoddhas just seven minutes to land their first all out of the contest, which propelled them into a six-point lead.
UP Yoddhas' superb start saw them pick up a nine-point lead within the first 10 minutes, which left Jaipur Pink Panthers on the backfoot.
The dominance continued as the half wore on. Rajput was leading the way in attack while the defenders were giving him a solid platform.
UP Yoddhas defence seemed impregnable with Hitesh, Sumit and Mahender Singh holding fort.
With just over a minute to go in the first half, UP Yoddhas' defence landed a second all out. At the half-time break, UP Yoddhas led 23-8.
UP Yoddhas held onto the momentum in the early phases of the second half as well, as they built on their lead, making it tougher for Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Within the first few minutes, Rajput completed his super 10, while Hitesh, Sumit and Gagan Gowda too were raking in points.
Jaipur Pink Panthers looked deflated, as their raiders weren't able to get going, and the defenders were under quite a bit of pressure.
At the half hour mark, Jaipur Pink Panthers were 26 points behind.
A third all out from UP Yoddhas piled on the misery on Jaipur Pink Panthers.
The season 9 champions had a few good moments after that, but UP Yoddhas were too strong on the day.
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