Preview: Puneri Paltan and UP Yoddha are set to face each other in the first eliminator in the fifth season of Pro Kabaddi League in Mumbai. The Pune side finished second in Zone A while the Yoddhas with 60 points secured third place in Zone B. But as they stare at each other, feelings ranging from envy to relief are certain to run through their bodies.
Puneri Paltan and UP Yoddha will look to make the most of each other's weaknesses. PKL Website
Pune with the strongest defence will go in the tie with a lot of confidence after having missing out on the top position of their zone by seven points. The Maharashtra side will be bolstered by the return of Sandeep Narwal and Girish Maruti Ernak. But the showman in Pune's side will be their captain Deepak Hooda, whose performances have had a direct impact on Paltan's result.
Whereas UP are the league's second-highest scorers in their raids with 438 points, boasting strong attacking prowess. But their almost brittle defence will be their concern going into the key clash. The UP defence has been fairly ineffective managing only 193 tackle points.
Pune are the league's top tacklers with 235 tackle points, but haven't been firing all cylinders in their raids. They find themselves in the 11th place in the raid-point charts having scored just 346 points in the zone phase.
So, it is rather simple – Pune's defence versus UP's attack – whichever proves to outdo the other, will progress while it will draw curtains on the other side.
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Updated Date: Oct 23, 2017 22:46:31 IST
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Highlights
69-30! An unbelievable score-line effected by an unbelievable player - Pardeep Narwal. He finishes the match with 34 points. What a record to possess in such a young age. He clearly was the difference between both these teams. It is the end of the road for the newcomers Haryana Steelers, who put up a good performance in the entire season but met an unstoppable force in the eliminators.
PARDEEP NARWAL - Remember the name!
40-38! It will be Puneri Paltans who stay alive in the competition. It is curtains for the newcomers UP Yoddha. A roller-coaster of a match that saw both teams hold the upper hand alternatively but it was Puneri Paltan's grit and ability to score points at the most crucial moments that sees them through in this nail-biting match.
18-18! At half-time, scores are level. UP Yoddha squander an early lead to allow the Puneri Paltans to make their way back into the game.
What a comeback by the Puneri Paltans!!! After trailing 3-10 at one point of the game, there was a resurgence in the team\s effort to win all-important super tackles and enforce an all-out at the most opportune moments.
The Starting line-ups for both teams are out
Puneri Paltan : Deepak Hooda, Sandep Narwal, Girish Maruti Ernak, Rajesh Mondal, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Rinku Narwal, Akshay Jadhav
UP Yoddha: Nitin Tomar, Nitesh Kumar, Sagar Krishna, Gurvinder Singh, Rishank Devadiga, Jeeva Kumar, Rajesh Narwal
22:43 (IST)
On Tuesday, the top teams of each zone, Bengal Warriors and Gujarat Fortunegiants will face each other in the 1st qualifier.
In the other blockbuster match of Tuesday, we will see Patna Pirates take on Puneri Paltan for a place in the 2nd qualifier that will happen in Chennai
Join Firstpost's coverage tomorrow for the live scores and updates about all the action scheduled for Tuesday.
Thank You and Good Night!
22:36 (IST)
Pardeep Narwal is obviously the perfect raider of the match and the player of the match
22:31 (IST)
22:30 (IST)
69-30! An unbelievable score-line effected by an unbelievable player - Pardeep Narwal. He finishes the match with 34 points. What a record to possess in such a young age. He clearly was the difference between both these teams. It is the end of the road for the newcomers Haryana Steelers, who put up a good performance in the entire season but met an unstoppable force in the eliminators.
PARDEEP NARWAL - Remember the name!
22:28 (IST)
Pardeep Narwal scores 3 more points to amass a total of 33 points in this match. This is the highest individual score by any Kabaddi player in PKL. The earlier record was held by Rohit Kumar, who scored 32 points.
22:26 (IST)
With 28 points in his kitty, Pardeep Narwal now has more points than the entire Haryana Steelers team as the scores now read 63-27!
22:25 (IST)
300 POINTS FOR PARDEEP NARWAL .. 300 POINTS... Unbelievable... 300 points
22:24 (IST)
58-27! Well, that didn't last long. Pardeep Narwal is brought back into the game as Vikash Khandola raid is thwarted by the Pirates defence
22:22 (IST)
55-27! Pardeep has been finally tamed. But, the damage has already been done. It is a near-impossible task for the Haryana Steelers to forge any sort of comeback now
22:17 (IST)
What a super raid by Pardeep Narwal. He takes out sixHaryana Steelers in one raid. The crowd is on their feet giving the dubki specialist a STANDING OVATION! Whadda playa!!!
Haryana Steelers suffer yet another all-out as Pirates lead 54-26!
22:15 (IST)
44-25! Monu's turn to score a Super 10. What a find! He has indeed stepped out of the shadows of one of the most enterprising raider of this season- Pardeep Narwal
22:10 (IST)
Is this the end of the road for Haryana Steelers as they suffer yet another all-out in the hands of the Patna Pirates.
Patna Pirates lead 42-23!
22:10 (IST)
37-23! Do-or-die raid for Patna Pirates was taken by Monu Goyat, but he is tackled by the Haryana defence. But, Haryana doesn't gain a point as in a sign of how the day has been so far for the Steelers, Surender Nada leaves the mat after he stepped behind the base-line.
22:06 (IST)
35-21! Pardeep is the man for Patna Pirates as always as the captain scores two more points to pull the match away from the Haryana Steelers
22:04 (IST)
28-20! Haryana Steelers have been playing the last three points with just a single man as
Vikash KhandolaDeepak Kumar Dahiya is slowly bringing back his team one by one for Pardeep Narwal to send them back in the same order22:03 (IST)
27-19! Patna Pirates were on the verge of inflicting yet another all-out on Haryana Steelers, but captain Surender Nada wins a RAID point
22:01 (IST)
21:59 (IST)
22-16! And we begin the second half with a Prashant Rai raid that ends with a bonus point for Haryana Steelers, reducing the deficit to six points now
21:58 (IST)
21:57 (IST)
It is time for the second half as Haryana Steelers have a lot of catching up to do. Patna Pirates have upped her all-round game and are striking on all fronts with amazing consistency
21:52 (IST)
21:50 (IST)
21:48 (IST)
16-13! Haryana Steelers have been playing the last three points with just a single man as Vikash Khandola is slowly bringing back his team one by one for Pardeep Narwal to send them back in the same order
21:46 (IST)
12-7! Pardeep Narwal scores one more point to leave just two Haryana players on the mat. An all-out is on the cards for sure
21:43 (IST)
10-7! Monu scores yet another point as his do-or-die raid gives the Patna Pirates a 3-point lead with seven minutes to go in the 1st half
21:41 (IST)
It is an evenly matched contest between raiders and defenders as the score reads 9-6! in Patna Pirates' favour.
21:39 (IST)
Pardeep Narwal scores yet another raid point in a way only he can as the Pirates lead 7-5!
21:35 (IST)
21:30 (IST)
4-1! Patna Pirates open their scoring with a super raid. Monu Goyat sends three Haryana players back to the dug-out. The defending champions lead in the opening stages
21:25 (IST)
The Starting Line-up for the 2nd eliminator
Patna Pirates: Pardeep Narwal, Vishal Mane, Sachin Shingade, Vijay, Monu Goyat, Jaideep, Jawahar Dagar
Haryana Steelers: Surender Nada, Mohit Chhillar, Deepak Kumar Dahiya, Wazir Singh, Rakesh Singh Kumar, Vikash Khandola, Surjeet Singh
21:20 (IST)
It is time for the second eliminator of the day
Defending Champions Patna Pirates take on newcomers Haryana Steelers.
The best raider of the season will take on the the best defender of Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 next.
21:18 (IST)
21:16 (IST)
Puneri Paltan's Girish Ernak wins the player of the match award, while captain Deepak Hooda wins the Do-or-die player of the match award
21:15 (IST)
UP Yoddha's Rishank Devadiga wins the perfect raider of the match award for his Super 10
21:10 (IST)
40-38! It will be Puneri Paltans who stay alive in the competition. It is curtains for the newcomers UP Yoddha. A roller-coaster of a match that saw both teams hold the upper hand alternatively but it was Puneri Paltan's grit and ability to score points at the most crucial moments that sees them through in this nail-biting match.
21:06 (IST)
The Last Raid!!! Just 9 seconds more in the match. Puneri Paltan up by a solitary point
21:05 (IST)
21:03 (IST)
38-37! 53 seconds left and it is advantage Puneri Paltan now. What a nail-biting encounter between two of the toughest teams this season
20:58 (IST)
With just over 2 minutes to go, this is stil anybody's game and the crowds are jumping with anticipation to cheer for their favourite team. Will it be UP Yoddha or the Puneri Paltan who bid adieu to the league tonight?
20:55 (IST)
36-33! Deepak Hooda is back into the fold as Suresh Kumar earns a raid point to help Puneri Paltan hold on to the lead and reduce the UP Yoddhas to five players on the mat
20:51 (IST)
33-28! Rishank Devadiga gives UP Yoddha fans a lot to cheer as he sends two of the Pune defenders into the dug-out. The Paltans have just one player out on the mat now
20:48 (IST)
33-25! UP Yoddha trail by eight points but are putting up a spirited comeback. An all-out in favour of UP Yoddha can tilt the game in the favour of the Lucknow lads
20:45 (IST)
33-22! Rajesh Mondal scores yet another raid point as the UP Yoddhas seem to have lost the plot after the initial surge. IT has been a Puneri Paltan show ever since
20:44 (IST)
Puneri Paltan's Girish Ernak scores a High 5.
In an unfortunate incident UP Yoddha's Sagar Krishna is forced to take himself out of the match after sustaining an injury
20:40 (IST)
And it is a SUPER 10 for Puneri Paltan captain Deepak Hooda. Leading by example and how!!
20:39 (IST)
28-20! Puneri coming into their own at the start of the second half. Their defence that looked out of sorts at the start is beginning to click. They enforce yet another all-out on UP and have jumped into a 8-point lead
20:25 (IST)
18-18! At half-time, scores are level. UP Yoddha squander an early lead to allow the Puneri Paltans to make their way back into the game.
What a comeback by the Puneri Paltans!!! After trailing 3-10 at one point of the game, there was a resurgence in the team\s effort to win all-important super tackles and enforce an all-out at the most opportune moments.
20:22 (IST)
20:19 (IST)
Deepak Hooda on the do-or-die raid for the Puneri Paltan and scores two important points. The Paltans trail by just two points now as scores read 13-15!
20:17 (IST)
First substitution in the match as UP Yoddha' Surender Singh replaces Rajesh Narwal