Pro Kabaddi 2022: U.P. Yoddhas beats U Mumba, strengthens playoff chances

U.P. Yoddhas rode high on their captain Pardeep Narwal's fantastic performance to take down U Mumba and put themselves in a better position for the playoff race. Rohit Tomar provided ample support to Pardeep with 8 points.

After a slow couple of minutes to start with, it was U Mumba who was out of the blocks quickest with Guman Singh's raids getting things going. Pardeep Narwal and the UP Yoddhas followed suit soon enough as the crowd made their presence felt from the get-go.

Giving Pardeep a hands were Rohit Tomar and Sandeep Narwal, as UP Yoddhas pulled level on the 9-minute mark in the game.

As the first half progressed, both sides continued to trade blows and points regularly, before the UP Yoddhas' Pardeep landed a Super Raid, helping his side get their noses out in front.

Nitesh Kumar led the next tackle, making it an all-out as the UP Yoddhas stretched their lead. Soon enough, the momentum was with Pardeep and co, as the players went into a breather with the UP Yoddhas leading 19-14.

Guman had Surinder Singh and Heidarali Ekrami giving him solid support, chipping away at UP Yoddhas' lead early in the second half, even as Pardeep inched closer to another Super 10. With just over ten minutes to go, U Mumba's determination meant the contest was on a knife edge, as the scores read 22-20 in UP Yoddhas' favour.

The U Mumba side was putting pressure on their opponents before a superb tackle by Sumit on Guman helped UP Yoddhas get some breathing space. Time wasn't on U Mumba's side, who had their task cut out in the final minutes, especially with Pardeep clinching a few crucial raid points. With 4 minutes to go, the UP Yoddhas had a 10-point lead.

U Mumba threw the kitchen sink at UP Yoddhas in the final moments, but Pardeep and co were having none of it, as they eventually ran out comfortable winners on the night.