UP Yoddhas defeated U Mumba by a slim margin of 35–32 at Delhi’s Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Thursday. U Mumba lost the chance to finish in the top four, but the Yoddhas’ victory wasn’t enough to guarantee a spot in the top eight.
Sumit Sangwan gave the Yoddhas a high five to lead the way in a match when the defenses were on top. With four tackle points, Hitesh helped, and Surender Gill was productive on both ends of the mat. Ajit Chouhan scored a Super 10 for U Mumba, while Rinku earned a High Five. That, however, was insufficient for their squad to win.
Both teams got off to a cautious start before U Mumba forced their way ahead to grab the lead. Ajit added a handful of raid points after Vijay Kumar’s tackle opened their account. Even though Guman Singh scored for the UP Yoddhas, Sunil Kumar also made an impression early on, giving his team a four-point lead.
But thanks to Surender Gill’s Super Raid, the Yoddhas were able to tie the score at 5-5. As soon as Ashu Singh recorded his first tackle, they took the lead, but it was short-lived as Rinku scored two Super Tackles to put U Mumba ahead again, recovering their four-point advantage with the score at 11-7 after 10 minutes.
Both teams used the Do-Or-Die Raid tactic, which caused the game’s tempo to slightly slow down. His comrade Hitesh made sure that Ajit couldn’t repeat Shivam Chaudhary’s successful raid. After that, Shivam Chaudhary scored his first point, bringing the score down to two.
As the tackles came in, Hitesh and Sunil Kumar were trading blows. Additionally, Sumit Sangwan recorded his first tackle, putting his team back on equal footing. The two teams were knotted 17–17 at the interval, but Guman Singh and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh kept their teams on equal footing.
The second half began slowly, with both teams happy to play at a leisurely pace. Before Surender Gill secured a successful Do-Or-Die Raid and subsequently registered his first tackle to give his team a two-point lead, Zafardanesh and Hitesh registered tackles to maintain the score tied. After Shivam Chaudhary’s Do-Or-Die Raid, the Yoddhas were able to inflict ALL OUT thanks to a tackle from Sumit.
With the score at 27–20, they gained a seven-point lead. Thanks to a tackle by Parvesh Bhainswal and a two-point raid by Ajit Chouhan, U Mumba reduced the deficit to four points with ten minutes remaining in the match. With five minutes remaining in the game, Sumit scored two vital tackles to retain his team’s advantage at 31-25, helping them open a six-point gap once more.
By completing his High Five, the UP Yoddhas skipper increased his team’s lead to seven points. Nevertheless, U Mumba reacted forcefully, as Rinku completed his High Five and Ajit Chouhan completed his Super 10. With one minute remaining, the game came down to a three-point shootout, but the Yoddhas maintained their composure and won 35–32 thanks to a pivotal point from Bhavani Rajput.
