Looking Forward to Playing In Front of Home Crowd Says Assistant Coach Of UP Yoddhas 

Hyderabad, November 6, 2024; In a thrilling Pro Kabaddi League match, UP Yoddhas faced a narrow defeat against Jaipur Pink Panthers with a score of 33-30 at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Despite the loss, the UP Yoddhas showcased remarkable defensive prowess throughout the match.

Speaking about the team's performance in the close 33-30 defeat against Jaipur Pink Panthers, UP Yoddhas' Assistant Coach Upendra Malik said, "The team showed great promise in the initial minutes of the game. The turning point came through the exceptional performances of Sumit and Hitesh, who displayed remarkable coordination in defense. However, a few small defensive errors in crucial moments shifted the momentum of the match."

The match highlights included a spectacular Super Tackle by Sumit to dismiss Arjun of Jaipur Pink Panthers, while Bharat Hooda put up an impressive performance with four Raid Points and one Tackle Point. The first half saw UP Yoddhas leading 17-15, with strong support from Gagan Gowda in attack and Ashu Singh in defense.

Defender Sumit also reflected on the team’s performance, saying, “Overall, we played well, but a few mistakes at crucial times definitely had an impact. We need to fine-tune our approach, and we’re already focusing on improving for the next match. We will look to bounce back stronger.”

In their defensive strategy, the Yoddhas were notably effective in containing Jaipur's dangerous raider, Arjun, whose raids have often caused problems in previous encounters. Malik explained, “We focused specifically on Arjun today, and our strategy worked well. He was less of a threat compared to earlier games, and they were forced to rely on bonus points to get through.”

With the narrow defeat behind them, Malik emphasized the positives. “There are plenty of takeaways from this match. Our defense performed well overall, and we were able to restrict some of their key players. Now, we need to work on cutting down the minor errors that cost us. We’re already analysing the next match and focusing on the strengths of our opponents especially their defenders, Sunil and Parvez, who have been key players for them.”

In order to build on their defensive gains and convert the lessons learned from this game into wins the Yoddhas are preparing for their next home leg in Noida. With optimism Coach Malik stated, “We are looking forward to our home leg and the support of our fans. Our objective is to win future games by harnessing the enthusiasm of our home crowd.”

In spite of the close match and narrow loss by a few points, UP Yoddhas defensive coordination and strategy improved significantly which bodes well for their next home leg in Noida. Now UP Yoddhas are looking forward to defeating U Mumba in their next game with greater strength.

About GMR Sports

GMR Sports, the sports division for GMR Group was incorporated in 2008 coinciding with the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League.

GMR Sports was created with the vision to utilise sports as a platform to help form a connect with the community at large, and cricket as a sport was the best platform to kick start this connection, thereby leading to the group's first-ever sports initiative.

Delhi Capitals – Delhi's first ever cricket franchise and the only one that represented the national capital of India, marked the beginning of this venture. Soon GMR Sports led the way in furthering their goals with the addition of another sport that in the truest sense connected the Indian community in a strong way. UP Yoddhas – The Pro Kabaddi League's Franchise representing India's largest state Uttar Pradesh was just that step towards providing the community with another reason to celebrate. In 2022, the 
Ultimate Kho Kho, a franchise representing the Telugu Speaking Region of India – Telugu Yoddhas were formed, making GMR Sports take another giant step of not only supporting indigenous sports but also giving another reason for the communities of the region to bond together in unison celebrating sports. 

In 2022, GMR Sports has expanded its footprints into the International Sports Leagues after acquiring the Dubai franchise of the International League T20 - Dubai Capitals, in UAE's newly announced T20 Cricket League. Further additions have been made to GMR Sports’ global sports portfolio with the addition of Seattle Orcas and Hampshire Cricket recently.