U.P. Yoddha are ready to show their true Yoddha spirit, as they shrug off the past and start afresh against the in-form Bengaluru Bulls in their first match of the Ahmedabad leg. To be played at the Eka Arena, Transstadia, it will be a crucial match against the Bulls, who have won four of the five matches they have played so far in ProKabaddi 2019.

Their raiders

Bengaluru Bulls are dependent a lot on their star raider Pawan Sehrawat. The most successful raider of the previous season is in fantastic form, if not better, this year as well. Sehrawat is already at the helm of the points tally and will be the player to watch out for. Though Rohit Kumar has not been at his best this season, his experience in this sport will make him another crucial raider for the Bulls.

However, our defence is a unit that has made us proud time and again. Sumit in the left corner and Ashu Singh as cover have done their job brilliantly and will be expected to continue doing the good work to not let the Bulls pile on raid points. However, better calls to attack and more synchronisation in the contingent can help their performance shine through even more.

UP Yoddha need their skipper and birthday boy Nitesh Kumar to fire. Nitesh had a poor outing against the Pirates and if the Yoddha are to tame the Bulls, they will need Nitesh to lead from the front.

Their defenders

Though the Bulls raiders have been fetching points aplenty, their defence looks inconsistent. Mahender Singh in left cover and Saurabh Nandal in left corner have been the best of the lot, but the team has been very dependent on Sehrawat’s super raids than the defence protecting the line, thus resulting in high-scoring matches this season.

Our raiders, Rishank, Shrikant and Monu will have to make the best of the situation and gather as many points as possible. The right defence not being at its best sets the stage for Shrikant to pull off successful raids from his left.

Head to head

UP Yoddha 1:5 Bengaluru Bulls