PKL Season 11: Patna Pirates and UP Yoddhas complete semi-final lineup

UP Yoddhas thrashed Jaipur Pink Panthers while Patna Pirates overcame U Mumba to enter the semi-finals of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 on Thursday.

Both teams will join Haryana Steelers and Dabang Delhi in the semis tomorrow.

Haryana and Delhi entered the semis directly after finishing first and second respectively in the points table.

UP Yoddhas thrash Jaipur Pink Panthers

It was a one-sided affair to kick start the PKL Season 11 Playoffs, as the UP Yoddhas produced a scintillating display of kabaddi, to confirm their Semi-Final berth, at the expense of the Jaipur Pink Panthers, in Eliminator 1.

The UP Yoddhas won the contest 46-18, with Bhavani Rajput (12 points) and Hitesh with High-5 playing starring roles.

It was a cautious start to the Playoff stages, with both the 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 Bhavani Rajput and Bharat put the UP Yoddhas out in front. It took the UP Yoddhas just 7 minutes to land their first all out of the contest, which propelled them into a 6-point lead.

The UP Yoddhas’ superb start saw them pick up a 9-point lead within the first 10 minutes, which left the Jaipur Pink Panthers on the backfoot.

The dominance continued as the half wore on. Bhavani Rajput was leading the way in attack while the defenders were giving him a solid platform.

The UP Yoddhas defence seemed impregnable with Hitesh, Sumit and Mahender Singh holding fort.

And with just over a minute to go in the first half, the UP Yoddhas’ defence landed a second all out.

At the half-time break, the UP Yoddhas led 23-8.

The 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 the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

Within the first few minutes, Bhavani Rajput completed his Super 10, whilst Hitesh, Sumit and Gagan Gowda too were raking in the 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.

The Season 9 champions had a few good moments in the second half but the UP Yoddhas were too strong on the day, and romped over the line, and into the Semi-Finals, where they will face the Haryana Steelers.

Patna hold off U Mumba

In the decisive eliminator 2 clash, Patna Pirates demonstrated their championship pedigree with a convincing 31-23 win over U Mumba.

Securing the last remaining spot in the semi-finals, they were led by the exceptional performance of Ayan Lohchab and his 10 points (8 raid points), while Gurdeep scored a High 5, keeping their opponents quiet throughout the whole game.

The win set up an exciting clash in Semi-final 2, against the in-form Dabang Delhi K.C.

An all out inflicted upon U Mumba eight and a half minutes into the match gave the Patna Pirates a very strong start as the three-time PKL Champions.

This came after Devank Dalal was off the mat at the start of the match, but Ayan Lohchab stepped to the fore.

He was well supported by his defenders, as the likes of Ajit Chouhan and Rohit Raghav were kept quiet throughout the first phase of the clash.

U Mumba upped the ante in the second phase of the game in a bid to equal the score but to no avail. Ajit Chouhan was kept in check by the likes of Gurdeep and Ankit, while Ayan carried the Patna Pirates' attacking unit.

A second all out  was forced upon U Mumba, hampering their hard work with two minutes left to the end of the first half. The score eventually read 17-11 at the half-time stage.

As the second half commenced, Ayan continued his attacking forays.

But this was not Ayan's only contribution for Patna Pirates, as he executed a crucial Super Tackle with a perfectly timed knee hold that pinned Ajit Chouhan to the mat.

While Amirmohammad Zafardanesh managed to claw back a point for U Mumba with a swift hand touch on the left corner, the match remained finely balanced as the teams headed into the second timeout.

In a crucial do-or-die raid, Devank, despite his limited involvement throughout the match, proved his mettle by successfully evading Rinku's challenge against a three-man U Mumba defence.

Although substitute raider M Dhanasekar managed to secure two points for U Mumba, the Patna Pirates' tactical decision to run down the clock proved effective, leaving U Mumba struggling to accumulate points at the necessary pace to mount a comeback, as the three-time champions confirmed their place in semi-final 2, where they will face Dabang Delhi K.C.