Bengal Warriors beat UP Yoddha: Warriors begin title defence in fine style, beat Pardeep Narwal led UP 38-32 – Defending champions Bengal Warriors will take on the ever-improving UP Yoddha side in their season opener. The Warriors will hope to kick off their campaign on the right note and hope to build a dynasty, as action returns after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The clash will be the third match of the day and will kick off late at 9:30 PM. Follow Insidesport.in for all PKL 8 LIVE Updates.
Bengal Warriors beat UP Yoddha: Warriors begin title defence in fine style, beat Pardeep Narwal led UP 38-32
@22:38 – Nabibakhsh, Maninder lead Bengal’s well oiled machinery, lead 32-25.
@22:30 – Nabibakhsh puts in a fine all-round performance, helps Bengal take 28-20 lead.
@22:20 – Pardeep Narwal slowly grows into the game, UP Yoddha tie the score at 17-17
@22:08 – Bengal Warriors off to brilliant start, lead 12-5
The defending champions Bengal Warriors will kick start their campaign against a much-improved UP Yoddha side in the third match of the opening day. The team from UP, who have never failed to make the playoffs since joining the league in Season 5, added PKL’s most sought-after raider Pardeep Narwal to their squad in the auctions (highest ever bid in PKL history of 1.65 crores).
The Warriors’ defence will be in for a test on the opening night, with Srikant Jadhav, an expert in do-or-die situations, and Surendra Gill backing Pardeep Narwal in the UP Yoddha raid unit.
Bengal’s defensive hope will lie on the Iranian duo of Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and Abozar Mohajer Mighani. Nabibaksh impressed for the Warriors in absence of injured Maninder in Season 7 while new entrant Abozar in the right corner will add stability to the Bengal defence.
PKL 2021: Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddha – Warriors begin title defence, face UP Yoddha in Day 1 blockbuster – Follow LIVE Updates
The last time these two sides met, UP Yoddha got the better of the defending champions at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in a 32-29 victory. Shrikant Jadav was the top raider with 19 points and Nitesh Kumar came out on top as the best defender with 7 tackle points. The two sides have met 8 times till now out of which UP Yoddha was able to get the better of Bengal Warriors 2 times, drawing thrice and losing thrice.
Ahead of the season opener, Bengal Warriors captain, Maninder Singh said that the team has worked hard in pre-season and will be aiming to retain the title. He said, “Kabaddi is an extremely tough sport that requires quick strategic thinking and presence of mind. The team has been working hard on building their fitness and working on key techniques. Stepping into Season 8 as defending champions is extremely motivating. The team is prepped and ready to put up a competitive game against every opponent.”
UP Yoddha captain, Nitesh Kumar added, “First of all we are excited to be finally back on the mat after a gap of two years, second, we are confident and well prepared, thanks to a long time we as a team spent during our long training session at our UP Yoddha BK Kabaddi Academy. This is going to be a challenging season, both on the mat and off it too given the new dynamics of the bubble life, but as a team we are geared to take on the challenges and give it our all for each other, fans and our home state Uttar Pradesh.”
PKL 2021: Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddha – Warriors begin title defence, face UP Yoddha in Day 1 blockbuster – Follow LIVE Updates
Bengal Warriors squad: Maninder Singh, Ravindra Ramesh Kumawat, Sukesh Hegde, Sumit Singh, Akash Pikalmunde, Rishank Devadiga, Rinku Narwal, Abozar Mohajer Mighani, Vijin Thangadurai, Parveen, Rohit Banne, Darshan J, Sachin Vittala, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, Manoj Gowda K, Rohit.
UP Yoddha squad: Surender Gill, Pardeep Narwal, Md. Masud Karim, Mohammad Taghi Paen Mahali, Shrikant Jadhav, Sahil, Gulveer Singh, Ankit, Gaurav Kumar, Aashish Nagar, Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Ashu Singh, Nitin Panwar, Gurdeep.
Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddha LIVE streaming
The broadcasting rights for the Pro Kabaddi League season 8 is given to Star Sports Network. Kabaddi fans can live stream the event on Disney + Hotstar. The Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddha clash will kick start at 9:30 PM IST on Wednesday, December 22.
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