Visakhapatnam, Aug 31 (UNI) 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 September 1, 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).
The focus will now rest on amplifying this momentum and maximsing the same to yield optimum results, as the team looks to garner victories and set themselves up for a positive phase early on 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 maintaining control over the proceedings was essential. We managed to grapple back authority over the proceedings in the second half against the Titans,” UP Yoddhas assistant coach Upendra Malik said today.
“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,” he added.
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 in the auction table, securing the key on-boards of the likes of 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 similar zest and zeal within them to complete some unfinished business from the previous campaign.
