Noida, Nov 28 (PTI) UP Yoddhas beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 33-29 in a Pro Kabaddi League match here on Thursday.
The closely-contested match finished with the UP Yoddhas clinching the win in the final minute.
For UP Yoddhas, Bhavani Rajput top-scored with 8 points, while Gagan Gowda got 6 and Sumit picked up a Hi-5, as UP Yoddhas exacted revenge for the defeat against Jaipur Pink Panthers earlier in the season.
It was a cautious start from both the sides, who were keen on not conceding ground early on. Arjun Deshwal and Ankush Rathee helped Jaipur Pink Panthers pick up a slender early lead, but soon UP Yoddhas fought back and got their noses in front.
The contest ebbed and flowed as the teams exchanged blows regularly. Gagan Gowda got his act going as well, as UP Yoddhas held onto a slender lead for a while.
Mid-way through the first half, Bhavani Rajput's multi-point raid gave UP Yoddhas some breathing space. A little later, UP Yoddhas landed an ALL OUT on Jaipur Pink Panthers, and extended the lead to six points.
Neeraj Narwal and Ankush Rathee reduced the deficit for Jaipur Pink Panthers, but UP Yoddhas remained in the box seat.
In the final couple of minutes of the first half, Arjun Deshwal upped the ante and the defence stepped in as Lucky Sharma's tackle led to an ALL OUT on UP Yoddhas. This brought Jaipur Pink Panthers on level terms with UP Yoddhas.
The second half saw both the teams stay close to each other, and neither could pull away with the lead, which exchanged hands a couple of times in the first few minutes.
Gagan Gowda was leading the charge for UP Yoddhas, and had good support from Bhavani Rajput and Sumit, as UP Yoddhas went into the final ten minutes with a 1-point lead.
As the half wore on, UP Yoddhas managed to keep Arjun Deshwal quiet, and were holding onto the 1-point lead. With three minutes to go, UP Yoddhas had moved into a three-point lead. Sumit had completed his Hi-5 and UP Yoddhas defence was also putting on a good show.
In the final minute, Jaipur Pink Panthers pulled it back when they landed a superb tackle on a Do-or-Die raid.
After that, Shrikant Jadhav stole a quick raid, and suddenly UP Yoddhas had their lead cut down to 1 point. Nonetheless, UP Yoddhas held their nerve and clinched a 4-point win.