At the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Monday, the UP Yoddhas made a valiant comeback to defeat the Patna Pirates 34-31 in a fiercely contested match that went right to the end. Gagan Gowda scored seven points as the Yoddhas won handily, and Sumit and Ashu Singh received well-earned high fives.
In what started out as a fiercely contested match, Patna Pirates defeated UP Yoddhas 7–6 in the first ten minutes. The best player in this round was Ayan Lohchab, a youthful raider for Patna who scored three raid points and twice put the Yoddhas defenders on the bench.
Maninder Singh contributed with a brilliant raid to keep the Pirates just ahead, and Ankit made an impression with a vital tackle on Guman Singh. Gagan Gowda gave the Yoddhas a vibrant appearance with a few incisive raids, and Ashu Singh and Sumit made significant defensive tackles.
Ayan’s outstanding raid, which removed Ashu Singh and Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi and gave UP Yoddhas the maiden All Out, was the game-defining moment halfway through the half. After that, he maintained his dominance by scoring points frequently, including during a raid that swiftly eliminated Mahender Singh and Bhavani Rajput.
When Ayan was eventually entangled in a Super Tackle late in the half, the Yoddhas had some relief, but Patna had already established a significant advantage. The Pirates led 19–13 at the break, with Ayan scoring eight raid points to lead the surge.
After 30 minutes of play, the Patna Pirates had increased their lead against UP Yoddhas to 23-19, demonstrating their continued control of the match in the first few minutes of the second half. Maninder Singh performed admirably in a Do-Or-Die raid against Hitesh, and substitute raider Ankit Rana immediately made an impression with a successful raid that put Sumit on the bench.
But the Yoddhas were not going to give up. Sumit executed a brilliant tackle on Ayan to stop the Pirates’ momentum, and Bhavani Rajput and Gagan Gowda added vital raid points to keep their team in the hunt. The margin stayed narrow as both sides traded pointless raids and defenses grew more stringent, paving the way for a dramatic finish.
The UP Yoddhas scored a spectacular equalizer in the seventh minute, causing the Patna Pirates to endure their first ALL OUT. They put the three-time champions under a lot of strain, but Ayan Lohchab managed to get away from Hitesh, giving his team a last-minute boost.
The Yoddhas held their nerve till the end, overturning the deficit in the final 10 minutes to deny Ayan a Super 10 and clinch their second win of the season, edging Patna Pirates 34-31.
