Ahmedabad, August 14: U.P. Yoddha take on Haryana Steelers in the Pro Kabaddi League season 7 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (August 14).
Both teams are coming into this fixture off the back of a victory over reigning champions Bengaluru Bulls and will be eager to extend their respective winning streaks. Rakesh Kumar coached Haryana have won their last two games and will be looking to make it three in a row against Yoddhas.
U.P. Yoddha snapped their three-match winless streak with a disciplined display against Bengaluru Bulls on Monday (August 12) and come into this fixture hoping to score another win against one of the in-form teams in the league.
Pro Kabaddi Special Page | Full Schedule | Points Table
Raiders Shrikant Jadhav and Monu Goyat combined to score 14 raid points against the reigning champions, but it was the defence and their 15 tackle points that were the key to U.P. Yoddha's victory in their previous outing.
Left Corner Sumit scored his second High 5 of the season against Bengaluru Bulls and is currently the team's leading tackle point scorer with 22. Skipper Nitesh Kumar is yet to hit the heights that he did last season but has been a steady contributor so far this season.
Ahmedabad mein dusri jeet darj karne ke liye utsuk hain Yoddhaon ki fauj 🤜🤛#SaansRokSeenaThok #YoddhaHum #UPvHAR pic.twitter.com/9IzfAOeqEz
— UP YODDHA (@UpYoddha) August 14, 2019
If the raiding unit shines and the defenders continue to score as well as they have this season, U.P. Yoddha could witness a turn in fortunes.
Haryana Steelers, on the other hand, had found themselves in a spot of bother after three losses on the trot, but coach Rakesh Kumar and his men responded in some style, beating Patna Pirates and Bengaluru Bulls in back-to-back matches.
The key to their resurgence has been the return of raider Vikash Kandola, who has scored 28 raid points in just three matches, with Super 10s in each of the team's last two games.
Cover defenders Ravi Kumar and Vikas Kale have also been stellar in Haryana Steelers' last two matches and will be key against Shrikant Jadhav.
विकाश तड़के फेर अपनी चतुराई तै पॉइंट्स बटोरण ने तैयार सै! 👊
— Haryana Steelers (@HaryanaSteelers) August 13, 2019
Vikash has averaged a phenomenal 10 points per game till now! 🙌#UPvHAR #DhaakadBoys #ShaanSeSteelers #HaryanaSteelers pic.twitter.com/YAdOcaRpqf
Youngsters Naveen and Vinay, who shared the raiding load before the return of Kandola, have provided timely points to the team and Rakesh Kumar will be hoping that they continue their good work for the side.
With scores even in the head-to-head battle, who will come out on top? Jasvir Singh's Yoddhas or Rakesh Kumar's Haryana Steelers? Find out tonight.
Game starts at 7.30 PM IST
Live Channel: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD
Live Stream: HotStar
Source: Pro Kabaddi