Sports Desk, Noida. Several matches were played at the Noida Indoor Stadium on the sixth day of Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) Season 2. These matches ranged from second-half comebacks and one-sided wins to the league's first tie-breaker. Kanpur Warriors made a brilliant comeback in the second half and defeated Aligarh Tigers.
Aligarh Tigers entered the field without main raider Vinay, the responsibility of which was on Kunal Bhati, who led the team confidently in the first half. Krunal displayed impressive raiding, scoring consistently and helping Aligarh post an early all-out. The Tigers held the lead at halftime, leading by five points.
The match turned after the break as Kanpur Warriors collected themselves and strengthened their defence. With Krunal getting injured, Kanpur took advantage of the situation. Sushant Chaudhary finished the match with an impressive 17 raid points. Kanpur gradually reduced the gap to five points and managed the closing stages effectively to pull off a good comeback win.
Lucknow Lions beat JD Noida Ninjas
Unbeaten Lucknow Lions continued their dominance in UPKL Season 2 with an impressive 42-21 win over JD Noida Ninjas in the second match of the day. The contest began as a strategic defensive battle, with both teams controlling the main raiders. The first half was a close contest, with Lucknow Lions leading by a slim one point at halftime.
A decisive change came in the second half, as Lucknow's defense became increasingly effective. Nishant Raghuvanshi and Mohammed Aman led a disciplined defensive unit that repeatedly shut down JD Noida's raiding options.
On the other hand, young raider Akash Nain stepped up with impressive raids, which was well supported by Arjun Deshwal and Arya. Lucknow scored three all-outs in the second half and took a decisive lead to maintain their 100 percent win record in the match.
Awadh Ramdoot beats Ganga Kings in tie-breaker thriller
Awadh Ramdoot showed their mettle by defeating Mirzapur's Ganga Kings 44-38 in a thrilling tie-breaker, which was the first tie-breaker match of UPKL Season 2. The match was evenly matched from the beginning, with both teams taking raid points and making super tackles at the right time. Neither team allowed the other team to get ahead and Awadh Ramdoot took a slight lead and took a three-point lead at half time.
At the start of the second half, Awadh extended their lead further with an early all-out, opening the gap to five points. Ganga Kings responded strongly. Constant raiding and better defensive coordination gradually reduced the gap and then with their all-out the momentum was in their favor for some time. Eventually the score was tied at 34–34, sending the match into the league's first tie-breaker.
In the tie-breaker, Awadh Ramdoot showed better composure and performance. Through aggressive raiding and smart decision-making, which included a crucial super raid, Awadh scored a total of 10 points in the tie-breaker to win the match 44-38, in one of the most thrilling matches of the season so far.
Kashi Kings defeated Brij Stars
Kashi Kings continued their unbeaten run in UPKL Season 2 by defeating Brij Stars 44-39 in the fourth match of the day. Kashi started well, with Arjun Sirohi scoring an early super raid to give his team an early lead. Brij Stars responded well and reduced the gap. Kashi recovered quickly, allowing Brij to maintain just a two-point lead at half time.
The momentum shifted decisively in Kashi's favor in the second half as they scored an all-out early on. The turning point came when young raider Gaurav Kumar, who was brought on briefly to prevent a second all-out, scored a crucial four-point super raid, swinging the match firmly in Kashi's favour, after which he was substituted again. In the end, Brij could not stop Kashi's advance and the Kings won the match.