Pro Kabaddi League 2022, Patna Pirates vs UP Yoddha: 3 player battles to watch out for
An exciting contest lies ahead in the first semifinal of Season 8 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) as the Patna Pirates take on UP Yoddha for a spot in the final. What makes this contest all the more intriguing is the face-off that will ensue between Pardeep Narwal and Patna’s defense.
It was Narwal who lifted the Pirates to the title in the 2017 season of PKL. He will now face his previous Pro Kabaddi team to try to oust them from the race for the trophy. In his absence, the Yoddha have assembled a brilliant raiding unit of their own.
The trio of Prashanth Kumar Rai, Sachin Tanwar, and Monu Goyat have powered their team’s success. Stopping them would take some effort from UP’s defense. Luckily for the Yoddhas, their defensive duo of Sumit Sangwan and Nitesh Kumar were in brilliant form during the eliminator.
As we are all set for the contest, let’s look at the three key player battles of this match.
#3 Pardeep Narwal (UP Yoddha) vs Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui (Patna Pirates)
This duel promises to be a blockbuster. Narwal was in devastating form against Puneri Paltan in Eliminator 1 and scored 18 points, including one massive 5-point raid. His performance tore the Paltan’s defense apart.
He will now go up against an in-form defender in Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui. The young Iranian has been among the finds of the season. His superb performance in the left corner has been among the key factors behind his team’s success.
A contest between Narwal and Shadloui would make any kabaddi fan’s mouth water. This duel could decide which team moves forward to the final.
#2 Sachin Tanwar (Patna Pirates) vs Sumit Sangwan (UP Yoddha)
While the spotlight was stolen by Narwal in the first eliminator, Sumit Sangwan in the left corner for UP also played a starring role in his team’s victory. He scored a high-5 and prevented any chance of the Pune side making a comeback.
Sangwan will now have the responsibility of neutralizing the threat posed by Sachin Tanwar. In Patna’s last league match, Tanwar again led the way with eight points. He has been in superb form throughout the season and has emerged as an extremely dependable raider.
Sangwan has teamed up well with his captain Nitesh Kumar in manning the corners for his team. If he can replicate his performance from the eliminator, the Yoddhas are likely to seal their berth in the final.
Check out the most raid points in PKL here.
#1 Monu Goyat (Patna Pirates) vs Nitesh Kumar (UP Yoddha)
It’s not just Sachin who will be a dangerous raider for UP as Monu Goyat also poses an equal amount of threat. The secret to the Patna Pirates’ success has been that if one of them doesn’t perform well in a match, the other rises to the occasion.
But UP captain Nitesh Kumar is a formidable foe. He only managed three points against Pune but his importance goes beyond the points he scores. The assists he provides to tackles by other players are equally important. Kumar will have a crucial role to play in this contest as well.