U.P Yoddha has hot some decent form in the last week or so as it has won its last two matches. It now has an excellent chance of extending that winning run to three against a struggling Tamil Thalaivas side.
U.P Yoddha has found doms momentum thanks to the good form of raiders Rishank Devadiga and Prashanth Kumar Rai. The pair of them were not able to fulfill the expectations that their side had of them early in the PKL but a late surge seems to be doing them good. Shrikanth Jadhav has had his best season of the Pro Kabaddi League so far and is in excellent point scoring form as well.
This gives U.P Yoddha plenty of opportunities to keep attacking the opposition and always have one or two good attacking options on the mat.
The problem for U.P Yoddha has been its defense. Nitesh Kumar is the one standout in this defensive unit as he fortifies his place in the top-5 defenders of the league. Without his contribution, the defense threatens to fall away and that is why he must be protected on the mat.
An experienced player like Jeeva Kumar should have been able to provide better support to Nitesh Kumar but as of now, he is easily carrying the defense of the side on his back.
The Tamil Thalaivas started their last match against the Bengal Warriors very well and built up an early lead. The lack of quality backup players once again proved to be their downfall as Ajay Thakur was left fighting a lone battle to try and get enough points on the board.
The story for the Tamil Thalaivas is going to be the same this time as well. Ajay Thakur is going to have to score the bulk of the points, something which is very possible against a weak U.P Yoddha attack.
If Ajay Thakur can find a way to keep Nitesh Kumar off the mat for a long duration of time then more than half of the battle would have been won.
Sukesh Hegde and Athul MS have been quite disappointing in the PKL and these last few matches give them an opportunity to set things right otherwise they could struggle to find a gig next year.
Amit Hood returned a High-5 with a total of seven tackle points in the last game. He is also another player that is leading a weak defense. His form would have given the Tamil Thalaivas plenty of hope for this match, though.
U.P Yoddha is coming into this match with two wins on the trot but failed to win the nine previous matches. The Tamil Thalaivas have also lost the last three matches. Both sides come into this match with poor form and deeply flawed sides.
We usually give the most credence to current form but in these case of these two sides, a good performance in one match has meant nothing to the next. Overall, we think the Tamil Thalaivas are still the better side than U.P. Yoddha in terms of offense. Now that Amit Hooda has hit some form, they might finally win this match.
Back the Tamil Thalaivas to win.