A confident U.P. Yoddhas, the franchisee owned by GMR Group, will take the mat tomorrow against defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers in Match 32 of the Pro Kabaddi 2023-24 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune. The Yoddhas played out an exciting 37-37 against the Bengal Warriors in their last match yesterday and are in fifth position in the table with 15 points and a score difference of 40.

On the other end, Jaipur Pink Panthers fought hard to secure a one-point victory over Patna Pirates on Sunday and are currently one place below U.P. Yoddhas on 15 points but with a score difference of -2.

The match between U.P. Yoddhas and Jaipur Pink Panthers will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports Network and can be streamed LIVE on Disney Hotstar on December 20, from 08:00 p.m. (IST) onwards.

The Yoddhas and Panthers have faced each other nine times, and U.P. Yoddhas has gotten the better of the team from Jaipur on five occasions and lost four times. Jaipur had won their previous encounter against the Yoddhas 42-29, played in Hyderabad.

Speaking before the match, U.P. Yoddhas’ head coach Jasveer Singh said, “We had a close game in the previous match, and we dropped points at crucial stages of the games. We have to ensure we do not repeat the same mistakes against Jaipur to get a positive result. The team has been performing very well, and all the players are in good form”.

Surender Gill has been in sensational form, taking the responsibility of doing the bulk of the raiding, and is currently in second position in the league for most successful raids (45) and raid points (60) and is supported by Pardeep Narwal, who has 35 raid points.

The defence of the Yoddhas has been in song from the start of the league, with Sumit, Gurdeep and Nitesh Kumar making it difficult for the opposition raiders to score points. Gurdeep has 16 tackle points, Sumit has 15, and Nitesh has 13, making them a formidable defensive trio. They are ably supported by all-rounder Vijay Mallik, who has also chipped in with crucial raid points.

Jaipur Pink Panthers have their star raider Arjun Deshwal with 45 raid points, and he will be the man who can pose a threat to the Yoddhas. In defence, Ankush and Sunil Kumar have been in good form. The Panthers are similar to Yoddhas in the table, with two wins and losses and one match being tied, but are below the Yoddhas because of a negative score difference.