Kabaddi
PKL 2021: UP Yoddha v/s Gujarat Giants - Preview, Expected 7, Live streaming, Players to Watch out, Head to head, Key battle
All you need to know about match number 19 of PKL 2021 between UP Yoddha and Gujarat Giants.
Pardeep Narwal and Ravinder Pahal
The scratchy UP Yoddha and Gujarat Giants will face off in match number 19 of PKL 2021. Both sides have had their fair share of problems in their first three games. Here, we unfold the detailed preview of this electrifying encounter between two.
Strategic takeaways
The inconsistent raiding department has become a major worry for coach Jasveer Singh. Surender Gill has levelled up his scoring first Super 10 in his PKL career against Jaipur Pink Panthers. UP Yoddha's youth setup product Rohit Tomar made impressive cameo performances in all three games. Coach Jasveer Singh may consider him in Starting 7 replacing Shrikant Jadhav who seems to be woefully out of touch.
Gujarat played on their strength against table-toppers Dabang Delhi KC obtaining a 24-24 draw. Captain Sunil Kumar scored his first tackle point of the season after a drought of two games and then went on to make it four. Gujarat gaffer Manpreet may rest one of four first-choice defenders as part of the rotation and bring Sumit Malik or Hadi Oshtorak from the bench.
Head to Head
These two sides are counted amongst the most successful franchises among the latest entrants in the PKL. UP Yoddha featured in the playoffs round of every season since their inception. On the other hand, Gujarat is only the second franchise after U Mumba to play finals in their first two seasons. Gujarat Giants completed double over Yoddhas in season six and are also leading the head-to-head count.
Overall H2H record:
5 - Matches
3 - Gujarat Giants
1 - UP Yoddha
1 - Tie
When to watch?
It is the second game of matchday 8 actions. The high-voltage action is expected to begin at 8:30 PM IST just right after the conclusion of the first encounter between Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi on 29th December of 2021.
Live Streaming
All the matches are expected to be broadcast on the Star Sports Network on television. You can also tune in to Disney+Hotstar for live streaming.
Expected 7
UP Yoddha:
Pardeep Narwal (Raider)
Surender Gill (Raider)
Rohit Tomar (Raider)
Gurdeep (Left Cover)
Ashu Singh (Right Cover)
Sumit Sangwan (Left Corner)
Nitesh Kumar (Right Corner)
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
Gujarat Giants:
Rakesh Narwal (Raider)
Mahendra Ganesh Rajput (Raider)
Rakesh Sungroya (All-rounder)
Parvesh Bhainswal (Left Cover)
Sunil Kumar (Right Cover)
Girish Ernak (Left Corner)
Ravinder Pahal (Right Corner)
Squad: Sunil Kumar (C), Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, Ajay Kumar, Rakesh Narwal, Rathan K, Harmanjeet Singh, Bhuvneshwar Gaur, Harshit Yadav, Maninder Singh, Pardeep Kumar, Rakesh Sungroya, Hadi Oshtorak, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ravinder Pahal, Girish Maruti Ernak, Ankit, Davinder Amar, Sumit Malik, Vishav Chaudhary, Soleiman Pahlevani
Players to Watch out For
Pardeep Narwal (UP Yoddha)
Rakesh Narwal (Gujarat Giants)
Ravinder Pahal (Gujarat Giants)
Nitesh Kumar (UP Yoddha)
Girish Maruti Ernak (Gujarat Giants)
Key Battle
Pardeep Narwal vs Ravinder Pahal
Pardeep Narwal had a forgettable performance against Jaipur Pink Panthers. Jaipur successfully tackled Pardeep five times and let him score just 3 raid points. Left raider Pardeep Narwal will be involved with Ravinder 'The Hawk' Pahal in the positional battle directly. The veteran right corner matches the aggression of Pardeep Narwal and has a lot of experience of playing against the star raider.
