The UP Yoddha took on Patna Pirates in the opening contest of Day 4. The two sides competed in a blockbuster, with UP edging out over their rivals in a 35-36 thriller.
It was a homecoming for Pardeep Narwal, who was in action against his former franchise. The star raider picked up twelve points on offence, emerging as the leading raider of the match. Patna Pirates were all over Pardeep after the initial ten minutes of the game, tackling him seven times.
Mohammadreza Chiyaneh was just excellent in the defence for PP, racking up seven points, including two super tackles, both against Narwal. Both sides played equally well till the final minute of the game, where Surinder Gill proved why experience could win games for any team.
Surinder was on a do-or-die raid in the final raid for UP Yoddha, with his side leading by a single point. The raider leapt for a bonus, ensuring that his side would maintain their lead despite getting tackled in the process.
UP will be excited after their first victory of the season. They will hope that this win can help the side shake off the first loss against Bengal Warriors.
Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan find their first win in PKL8
In the second match, it was the battle of the giants as Telugu Titans took on Puneri Paltan. Despite a stellar performance by Siddharth Desai, who picked up fifteen points in the game. The Titans had to face defeat as PP won the game in the final minute.
The Titans camp will surely be disappointed after failing to add four points to their tally. The team drew their first fixture against Tamil Thalaivas. Now a one-point loss against Puneri Paltan will hurt Siddharth Desai, who has been a one-man army so far. Rohit Kumar will have to step up if TT wish to get past Haryana Steelers in their final fixture of game week 1.
The inaugural champions Jaipur Pink Panthers found their first win of the season, as they defeated Haryana Steelers 40-38. The Steelers have lost both their matches and are reeling at the bottom of the points table.
Arjun Deshwal was the top raider of the entire day, racking up seventeen points against the Steelers. He was supported by skipper Deepak Niwas Hooda, who accumulated ten points. Vikash Kandola tried his best to take Haryana Steelers over the finish line but didn’t get enough support from his teammates.
