U.P. Yoddhas - owned by the GMR Group - returned to winning ways with an emphatic 43-24 victory over Telugu Titans in match 51 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune on Monday.

Surender Gill (13 points) and Pardeep Narwal (nine points) were the best raiders for the Yoddhas, while all-rounder Gurdeep (six points) and Ashu Singh (five points) returned with the most tackle points.

Both teams - U.P. Yoddhas and Telugu Titans - traded raid points constantly in the opening stages of the encounter. Surender Gill and Pardeep Narwal ran riot through the opposition's ranks as they pleased, picking up bonus points with ease.

Telugu Titans managed to hold their ground despite their ineffective defending displays on the mat.

The Yoddhas, led by Gill, got the first ALL OUT of the game with the clock ticking away and extended their lead to 16-8. Their dominance in the final five minutes was stark, with 11 points as opposed to a mere one by the Titans in that period. U.P. Yoddhas went into the break leading 20-9.

Sparking some signs of a revival, Telugu Titans kicked off the second half with a SUPER TACKLE as Mohit Pahal caught Narwal out. However, those hopes were seemingly shortlived as the Yoddhas secured ALL OUTS in quick succession to take a giant leap in the contest with a 36-12 lead.

There onwards, just a bit of final touches were needed for U.P. Yoddhas to seal a deserved victory and move up a place on the table.