image courtesy: @Tamil Thalaivas Twitter
On Tuesday, U.P. Yoddha will face Tamil Thalaivas in the Pro Kabaddi League’s 33rd match on the Bengaluru grounds. The Thalaivas are ranked 5th on the points table, while the Yoddhas are positioned 7th, with only one point separating them. With a win, the Yoddhas will move into the top half of the table. The club from Northern India will keep an eye on their -7 score differential as they enter the final rounds of the season.
Until the previous match, both teams’ main issue had been firing as a unit. Individually, they had impressed, but as a group, they lacked consistency. The Tamil Thalaivas struggled defensively in the first half against Dabang Delhi, but they improved in the second half after Naveen Kumar was taken off the mat.
U.P. Yoddha will be hoping that the rest of the raiders rise to the occasion, since Pardeep Narwal hasn’t looked his best thus far. Surender Gill, who had only 4 points in the previous encounter, rose to the situation and scored 8 points.
So far, how have they fared?
In their five matches thus far, the Tamil Thalaivas have tied three times and won one once. The franchise surrendered a 7-point lead against Telugu Titans and U Mumba, but cutting the margin against Dabang Delhi would boost the players’ confidence.
U.P. Yoddha fought hard against U Mumba in a tight match. In the match, no side has taken a lead of more than 4 points. Despite Pardeep’s poor performance, the Yoddhas have grabbed 209 raids this season, which is the second-most by a team.
Match Details
Match: UP Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas, Match 33, Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22.
Date and Time: 4th January 2022, Tuesday, 8:30 PM IST.
Venue: Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru.
UP Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas Head-to-Head
Three of the eight encounters between the two teams have ended in a tie. Two matches have been won by the Tamil Thalaivas, while three have been won by the Yoddhas. The previous meeting between the two teams took place in PKL 7 and finished in a 28-28 draw.
| UP Yoddha | Tie | Tamil Thalaivas |
| 3 wins | 3 | 2 wins |
UP Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas Full Squad
UP Yoddha Squad:
Nitesh Kumar (C), Pardeep Narwal, Shrikant Jadhav, Surender Gill, Gulveer Singh, James Kamweti, Aman Hooda, Ankit, Mohammad Taghi, Rohit Tomar, Sahil, Sumit Sangwan, Ashu Singh, Aashish Nagar, Bintu Narwal, Shubham Baliyan, Gaurav Kumar, Gurdeep, Nitin Panwar
Tamil Thalaivas Squad:
Surjeet (C), K Prapanjan (VC), Manjeet Dahiya, Ajinkya Pawar, Athul MS, Bhavani Rajput, Sandaruwan Asiri, Sagar Krishna, Sourabh Patil, Santhapanaselvam, Anwar Saheed Baba, Himanshu, Sagar Rathee, M Abhishek, Mohammad Tuhin Tarafder, Sahil, Ashish, Mohit
UP Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas Probable Playing 7s
UP Yoddha
Pardeep Narwal, Nitesh Kumar, Ashu Singh, Ankit, Rohit Tomar, Surender Gill, Sumit.
Tamil Thalaivas
Surjeet Singh, Manjeet, Athul MS, Bhavani Rajput, Ajinkya Pawar, Mohit Jakhar, Sagar Rathee
Pro Kabaddi Points table:
UP Yoddha – 8th
Tamil Thalaivas – 6th
UP Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas Live Telecast Channel
TV: Star Sports Network
WinZO’s Recommendation for Best Fantasy Picks:
Fantasy Suggestion:
Surjeet Singh, Nitesh Kumar, Mohit Jakhar, Gurdeep, Manjeet, Ankit, Surender Gill
Captain: Surender Gill, Vice-Captain: Manjeet
Match Predicion
So far in the competition, both sides have only won one match. However, if we look at the numbers, the Thalaivas have been the better team this season, despite the fact that luck hasn’t always been on their side. In the forthcoming season, the Surjeet Singh-led squad will have a clear lead over the Yoddha.
