PKL 10: Surender, Nitin impress as Bengal Warriors, U.P. Yoddhas play out enthralling tie

Pune, Dec 18 (IANS) Bengal Warriors and U.P. Yoddhas played out an exciting 37-37 tie in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 game at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Monday. Interestingly, this was the second tied game of the season and the Warriors were a part of both matches.

As the scoreline suggested, there was hardly anything to separate the two sides all through the game.

Surender Gill got the U.P. Yoddhas going with a Super Raid, while Bengal Warriors struck back through Maninder Singh and Nitin Kumar. Pardeep Narwal, the Yoddhas skipper, had to wait as long as 12 minutes to get his first point as the U.P. Yoddhas began to sneak ahead.

The Yoddhas were reduced to four men a couple of times, but the Warriors raiders failed to capitalise. A couple of sharp tackles from Nitesh on Maninder and bonus points from Vijay Malik powered the Yoddhas to a four-point lead at 18-14 at the end of the first half. It was a tightly contested opening half that saw neither side claim an All-Out.

The game truly came alive in the second half when Gurdeep produced an ankle hold to stop Maninder and claim a Super Tackle. The Yoddhas led 21-17 at this point, but that lead was short-lived as Shrikant Jadhav got a much-needed All-Out for the Warriors.

Going up against a defence of two, Shrikant darted across the mat before forcing Hitesh into the lobby and then tagging Harendra Kumar to give his side a slender lead at 24-23.

However, Surender gave the Warriors little time to celebrate as he struck back with a Super Raid that put his side ahead and brought up his Super 10.

The raider grew from strength to strength thereon and the Yoddhas rode on his raiding prowess to reduce the Warriors down to one man before Nitin was flattened on the mat. With five minutes to go, the Yoddhas led 35-30.

As was the theme of the game, the Warriors fought their way back through some resolute defending and key raid points from Maninder. Nitin, the Warriors’ best player on the evening, scalped two crucial points to make it 36-36, but both sides picked up a point each in the final minute to share the spoils.