Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Match 68: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs UP Yoddha, Player Ratings
Pro Kabaddi League 2018 saw the action continue on in the Ahmedabad leg as the Jaipur Pink Panthers took to the mat against UP Yoddha at the Arena by Transstadia in the state of Gujarat.
The first match of the day had seen the home side Gujarat Fortunegiants kick off the leg against the Bengal Warriors with a solid win (35-23) after good performances from K Prapanjan and Parvesh Bhainswal.
Jaipur Pink Panthers and UP Yoddha featured in the second match of the day as the two teams hoped to get their seasons back on track. The UP Yoddha came into the match on the back of seven winless matches including their home leg sojourn. Jaipur Pink Panthers had just won one match in their past seven matches and needed a win tonight. Both the teams have struggled a bit in their raiding department, however, Jaipur came in with high hopes after Deepak Niwas Hooda's recent form.
Jaipur Pink Panthers started off the match in a strong fashion with their defence performing well to keep the UP Yoddha raiders in check. Sandeep Dhull was in top form scoring four tackle points in the first half itself along with every defender scoring for the Panthers. Nitin Rawal's departure saw Ajinkya Pawar come in off the bench and he made an immediate impact scoring six points in the first half. The UP Yoddha side were down 10 points at one moment towards the end of the half but rallied back to cut the lead down to five after a couple of Super Tackles.
The second half saw Jaipur take control of proceedings as Deepak Hooda sprung in action and kept the UP defence on their toes. Nitesh Kumar and Narender got Super Tackles but it was not enough to keep the Panthers in check as they ended up extending their lead and won 45-28 in the end.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Anup Kumar - (6/10)
The skipper started off slowly in the match but picked up a couple of points including one tackle point in the first half. He continued a solid defensive performance ending with four tackle points tonight.
Deepak Niwas Hooda - (8/10)
The star all-rounder had a poor first half as he made a couple of critical mistakes in do-or-die situations giving away easy points to the UP Yoddha. However, he was in top form in the second half getting another Super 10 to his name and took the game away from the UP Yoddha side.
Mohit Chillar - (5/10)
The experienced defender was active for the Panthers with his assists and blocks coming in from the right corner position. He scored three tackle points tonight.
Sunil Siddhgavali - (7/10)
The cover defender did well in the Jaipur defence picking up tackle points with his strong holds and dashes. He scored a High 5 on the night after a convincing performance.
Nitin Rawal - N/A
The all-rounder played a small role tonight after he was subbed off within the first five minutes struggling with his injury and was replaced by Ajinkya Pawar.
Sandeep Kumar Dhull - (7/10)
The former Telugu Titans man was in great form tonight picking up four tackle points in the first half with strong ankle holds. Dhull was the second defender tonight to get a High 5 and capped off a successful performance.
Amit Kumar - (3/10)
The young defender was given a start tonight and finished with a couple of tackle points in the cover position.
Substitutes
Ajinkya Pawar - (7.5/10)
The substitute came on early in the match to replace the injured Nitin Rawal. He made a strong impression as he got nine touch points tonight keeping the UP Yoddha defence in a worry throughout the match.