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The one team that has so far lived up to its name in this season of Pro Kabaddi has been the Haryana Steelers. Led by Surender Nada, the team has displayed a steely resolve that has led to the downfall of many opposition teams. They needed that resolve tonight to see off the challenge of Dabang Delhi as they overcame a spirited comeback from their opponents to win 26-24.
Looking to arrest their slump, the UP Yoddha took to the mat for the second match of the night against the Tamil Thalaivas, a side against whom they had drawn the last time they played. And in a dramatic match dictated by silly errors from each side, we ended up somehow with yet another tie with each side having its chance to emerge victorious. 33-33 it finished meaning the Yoddha are yet to win in Lucknow.
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#1 A blowout at one stage turns into a close game
The Haryana Steelers were in complete control of their match against Dabang Delhi at half-time as they led 17-9. After a fast start from Delhi, the Steelers had broken the game open with an All Out to lead 11-3 with under 11 minutes played before eventually holding that 8-point lead at the break. They had contributions coming in from the entire unit, both in attack and defence. It looked to be smooth sailing and a comfortable five points.
Whether it was complacency or just a lack of focus, the Steelers though came out lethargic in the second half while Delhi mounted a bit of a surge. With a good start, they cut the advantage to six points and then their captain Meraj Sheykh pulled off a coup when he got rid of the explosive corner combination of Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar in a single raid thanks to Nada's error on the Do or Die raid. That brought the deficit down to four and soon the Steelers found themselves at the receiving end of an All Out and just a 2-point advantage with over three minutes still remaining.
Dabang had mounted a 10-2 run in the first eight minutes of the second half to tie the game up at 19-19. The Steelers found their composure at just the right time though to recapture the lead and just edge the contest at the end, capturing Delhi captain Meraj on the penultimate raid of the match.
This game was another testament that no game is a foregone conclusion at half-time.
#2 The Iranian giant shines again
In Dabang Delhi's last game, Iran's Abolfazl Maghsodlou came off the bench to help his side beat the Tamil Thalaivas and one wondered why Delhi don't start with him instead.
The Dabangs actually rewarded him with a start and he didn't disappoint. The Iranian was the lone consistent performer for the Delhi side. Though Meraj had a few key raids here and there, it was his younger compatriot that really was the anchor for the Delhi. The tall raider scored 8 points from his 15 raids.
Hopefully, Dabang continue this trend and don't chop and change with the team so much and give Abol the run he deserves in the side.
#3 A bold approach unleashes Rishank Devadiga
On Tuesday, the UP Yoddha lost a close contest against the Haryana Steelers. It was a one-point game in favour of the Steelers with under two minutes remaining. However, while coach Udaya Kumar of the Yoddha was telling his side about netting a point to tie the game, the Steelers coach was propagating a slightly bolder approach and telling them to kill the game off by going for a tackle and extending the lead.
The Steelers' approach won them the game while the Yoddha's defensive approach lost it for them. Especially when you have raiders of the quality of Rishank Devadiga and Nitin Tomar, one wondered if this team would be better off with a little more adventure in them.
Rishank looked to have gotten that message and started this game with a Super Raid in the second minute -- a raid that took out Amit Hooda and Darshan, key defenders and Prapanjan, key raider for the Thalaivas. He did not have an empty raid in his first five attempts. He almost assuredly came back with a point every single time.
In a performance reminiscent of his outing against the U Mumba, Rishank put in another stellar performance on the night. He picked up a Super 10 in just the first half alone. He slowed up in the second half and picked up just four points.
But this game pretty much revolved around him -- when he picked up the points, the Yoddha looked good, when he didn't, not so much.
The Yoddha are better off just letting Rishank go full throttle because that also forces the opposing defence into make more mistakes.
#4 The Yoddha and Thalaivas are proving to be the biggest bottlers in Season 5
When these two teams met the first time, they played out a draw. What were the chances that they would play out another tie? Pretty good actually considering that these two teams had the worst record in close matches going into the final minutes. And true to form, both these teams shot themselves in the foot multiple times during this contest, especially in the crunch, that meant we got yet another tie.
Where do we start?
The Yoddha led 12-3 with just 9 minutes gone in the match and 18-9 at half-time. The Thalaivas came back strong after the All Out with Ajay Thakur continuing the good form he showed in the last game. The Thalaivas took the lead in the second with just 6 minutes gone in the second and at one point had the home side reduced to one man, that too a defender in Sagar Krishna. Yet, just as they did in their last game against Dabang Delhi, they failed to effect the All Out with a silly error that gave UP the edge as Ajay Thakur ended up getting Super Tackled on the next raid.
With a one-point lead in the final minute of the match and facing a Do or Die raid, the game boiled down to Rishank. The star man kept his nerve and got a touch point to extend his side's advantage to two and it looked like the Yoddha were going to finally get that first home win.
But no, the Yoddha switched off, allowed Vineet to come in quickly and get a touch point and with 4 seconds still remaining, forced another raid from UP. The Thalaivas held a high line and did not give Rishank the chance to cross the baulk line, Amit Hooda effected a superb ankle hold and effected the tackle to give his side the tie.
Rishank and Ajay Thakur had Super 10s while Amit Hooda picked up another High 5 on defence with 6 tackle points.
What a finish! There was shock, elation, agony, despair, missing nails, brain freezes, moments of bravery, everything.
These two teams are so poor at late game situations that you are almost guaranteed drama if they are involved in close games going into the final minutes.
#5 Where do the Yoddha go from here?
Led big against the U Mumba with a fantastic first half, ended up losing their game. Led against the Jaipur Pink Panthers in a game without Manjeet Chhillar and spectacularly lost it in the dying stages with a strategy that played into the Pink Panthers' hands. Had a massive lead today against the Thalaivas, almost lost it in the second half, reclaimed the advantage and still came away with only a tie.
One wonders what the mood in the Yoddha camp is like right now!
This is a side that boasts two of the finest raiders in the game in Rishank Devadiga and Nitin Tomar, the man who went for the highest price in the auction. They have experienced heads in defence in Jeeva Kumar and Rajesh Narwal. They have a young defender in Sagar Krishna who has come on impressively this season. They have a coach in Udaya Kumar who has plenty of experience in Pro Kabaddi.
Yet for some reason, they are coming up short in the big moments almost every single time. They have failed to win a single game at home in five attempts with just one more home tilt remaining. Out of those five games, they have been in position to win at least three of them. And yet, they have thrown away leads and capitulated when the pressure has been on. The other teams must be licking their lips at the moment if they come up against the Yoddha, knowing that its a team with a scarred psyche and struggling to close out matches.
They have some serious thinking to do for they came into the Lucknow leg holding the top spot in Zone B. However, instead of consolidating that place, they have let slip their advantage and have failed to win in five home games.
A lot rides on how they close out their campaign tomorrow against the Telugu Titans. All eyes will be on how this team goes from here.
