Pro Kabaddi 2023, Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddhas: Who won yesterday’s PKL 2023 match?

Bengal Warriors took on UP Yoddhas in the 29th game of the PKL 2023 season at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune on Monday, 18 December. It was a thrilling encounter, with both teams at their best.

And it culminated in the second tie of PKL 2023 as Bengal Warriors and UP Yoddhas held out for a 37-37 draw. Notably, both the ties of the season have involved the Warriors who had previously tied with Jaipur Pink Panthers.

Bengal would be comparatively happy with the result as they made a comeback in the match to share the spoils. The Yoddhas started positively, with Surender Gill pulling off a Super Raid in the initial few minutes.

However, Bengal didn’t back down, with Nitin Kumar and Shrikant Jadhav consistently bringing points in the raiding department. Maninder was kept quiet by the Yoddhas’ defenders in the first half which helped them take a four-point lead going into the final 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Bengal defenders were successful in not letting record-breaker Pardeep Narwal score points. Surender took the responsibility to ensure Yoddhas stayed up in the game.

The second half was also similar, but it was the Warriors who first started the assault. Maninder also got back in form along with Nitin and Shrikant. Shubham Shinde led the defensive unit and was a wall at the right corner. They also initiated an all-out over Yoddhas to level the scores with the last 10 minutes. l

However, once again, Surender Gill came to the Yoddhas’ rescue with a Super Raid. Vijay Malik gave great support to Surender with his consistent bonus points. Gurdeep, meanwhile, played well in the defense at the left cover.

But the Warriors kept on pressing, with Nitin Kumar completing his Super 10. They reduced UP Yoddhas to two men with just one minute left in the game. It could have been anyone’s game, but Vijay Malik got a bonus to give his side a one-point lead. Maninder then followed it up by getting Hitesh out and reducing Yoddhas to the last man.

However, only 20 seconds remained on the clock, and Vijay just stood there to run the time down.The edge-of-the-seat thriller ended with honors even at 37-37.

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Who won the Player of the Match in yesterday's PKL 2023 match?

Surender Gill of UP Yoddhas scored 18 raid points against Bengal Warriors in PKL 2023 (Image via PKL)

Surender Gill was the star of the night for UP Yoddhas and won a well-deserved Player of the Match award. He led the raiding unit of Yoddhas with 18 points , including two game-changing Super Raids.

He single-handedly kept the Yoddhas in the game and nearly took them to a victory. He played like a leader and made sure that he spent maximum time on the court. UP Yoddhas will want him to continue his form and help them have a successful PKL 2023 campaign.