UP Yoddha beat Patna Pirates 36-35 in the final move of the match to clinch much-needed 5 points in the first match of the Pro Kabaddi League Christmas day triple-header in Bengaluru.
Patna thought they had managed to claw their way back into a tie in the last move of the match when they tackled Surender Gill but the UP raider ensured he got a bonus point in the process to keep that one-point lead alive. Pardeep Narwal, former Patna raider, was the highest point scorer for UP Yoddha with 12 points.
In another one-point game at The Sheraton Grand Whitefield, an all-round performance from Aslam Inamdar (8 points) helped Puneri Paltan beat Telugu Titans 34-33. Siddharth Desai scored 15 points for the Telugu Titans but had no support from fellow raiders including captain Rohit Kumar as Pune secured a last second victory.
In the final match, Haryana Steelers played their hearts out, but they went down 38-40 against Jaipur Pink Panthers. Captain Vikash Kandola was Haryana’s best player with 14 raid points in the match.
All three teams that won on Saturday registered first wins of the season. Dabang Delhi seem to be the team to beat in the early stages, while Bengal Warriors have also started their title defence well.
Standings as of 25 Dec
| Team | Games | W | L | D | Points diff. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dabang Delhi | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10 |
| Bengal Warriors | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| U Mumba | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| Gujarat Giants | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Patna Pirates | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| UP Yoddha | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -4 | 6 |
| Pink Panthers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -5 | 6 |
| Bengaluru Bulls | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -8 | 5 |
| Puneri Paltan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -10 | 5 |
| Telugu Titans | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| Tamil Thalaivas | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -8 | 3 |
| Haryana Steelers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -5 | 2 |
