PKL-12: UP Yoddhas enter the top 8 with their second consecutive win, defeat Thalaivas by 1 point.

UP Yoddhas defeated Tamil Thalaivas 32–31 in the 84th match of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12, played at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, and entered the top eight of the points table.

For UP, Guman Singh (8 points), Gagan (6 points), and defender Hitesh (7 tackle points) emerged as heroes of the victory. This was UP’s sixth win in 15 matches, while Thalaivas suffered their ninth loss in as many games. For Thalaivas, Arjun Deshwal (7 points) and defender Sagar Rathi (5 points) were the only standouts.

After three minutes of play, UP took a 4–3 lead and kept the pressure on to extend it to 6–3. On a do-or-die raid, Bhavani earned a touch point, and then Deshwal targeted Ashu to make it 4–7. On Deshwal’s next raid, two UP players stepped out of bounds, leveling the score 8–8 by the 10-minute mark, but UP managed to execute a super tackle as well.

After the break, Thalaivas all-outed UP to take a 12–9 lead. Following the all-out, Thalaivas scored three consecutive points to extend the lead to five. UP started playing on do-or-die raids, while Thalaivas’ defense remained solid, helping them maintain a 17–14 lead at halftime.

After the break, Guman scored a two-point raid to narrow the gap to 16–17 and forced a super tackle situation for Thalaivas. UP’s defense then caught Shafaghi, reducing Thalaivas to just two players, but Himanshu’s super tackle on Gagan made it 20–17. UP bounced back strongly, inflicting an all-out to lead 22–21.

After Guman’s brilliant escape, Hitesh tackled Deshwal to complete his High-5. Soon after, Guman and Bhavani added two quick points to make it 26–22. Guman’s multi-point raid after the break pushed Thalaivas into a super tackle situation, but Deshwal managed to rescue them. Sagar then tackled Guman to cut the lead to two points and completed his own High-5. On the next raid, UP’s defense dismissed Deshwal.

Bhavani then took Sagar out to make it 30–26, and Hitesh executed a back-hold on Shafaghi to extend the gap to five points. However, Nitesh produced a super tackle on Guman to make it 28–31. UP’s defense caught Ashish next, restoring the four-point cushion. Thalaivas managed another successful super tackle late in the game but eventually fell short by just one point.