Pro Kabaddi League: U Mumba takes tiebreaker against Gujarat Giants; Gagan, Sumit lead UP Yoddhas to slim victory over Telugu Titans
The Vishwanadh Sports Club witnessed a nail-biting pair of matches on Saturday evening, as the UP Yoddhas began its Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 campaign with a thrilling 40-35 win over home side Telugu Titans before U Mumba snuck past Gujarat Giants on a 6-5 tiebreaker.
UP Yoddhas holds off late Titans resistance
Skipper Sumit’s eight points and Gagan Gowda’s superb 14-point haul proved decisive for UP Yoddhas, while Vijay Malik impressed with 14 points for the Titans.
Vijay opened the proceedings with an early hand touch, but the Yoddhas immediately showed their resilience. Gagan Gowda struck early against Bharat Hooda, with both teams trading blows and forcing Do-or-Die raids.
The first all-out arrived in the eighth minute, when skipper Sumit trapped Jai Bhagwan to hand the Yoddhas a four-point cushion. Despite Bharat’s resistance, the Titans struggled to close the gap as the Yoddhas went into the break leading 21-13.
Early in the second half, the Yoddhas inflicted another all-out, with Sumit completing his High Five after dismissing Shubham Shinde and stretching the lead to 11.
The Titans, however, weren’t done, capitalising on the Yoddhas’ first all-out of the night, cutting the lead to just five points. Malik completed his Super 10 with a multi-point raid and even dismissed Gowda, sparking hopes of a late comeback. But Gowda had the final say, sealing the contest with a Super Raid in the dying moments.
The Yoddhas held their nerve in a tense finish to win 40-35, making a strong start to their Season 12 campaign.
Second tie-breaker in two days sees U Mumba clinch thriller 6-5
Lokesh Ghosliya and Rohit Raghav registered four tackle points each, while Ajit Chouhan led the raiding unit with five raid points for U Mumba. Anil and Sandeep Kumar made timely contributions with three raid points each, while Sunil Kumar came in clutch to help U Mumba secure a hard-fought win.
Both teams hit the ground running in the opening exchanges before the defensive units took over. Ajit Chouhan opened the scoring for U Mumba, while Himanshu Singh did the same for Gujarat Giants. Shubham Kumar then delivered the first big blow with a tackle on Ajit Chouhan, but the U Mumba defence responded instantly.
Gujarat Giants established a narrow early lead, inflicting a first-half all out as it went it to the half-time break with a 16-15 lead. However, U Mumba’s defenders ensured that it did not drift too far behind the game.
U Mumba’s tenacious defensive work helped it established a three-point lead courtesy of a couple of Super Tackles, but it was wiped out by a Super Raid from Himanshu Singh, levelling the scores at 27-27. With frantic action on both ends of the mat, the teams were tied at 29-29 after 40 minutes, forcing a second tie-breaker in as many days in PKL12.
Ajit Chouhan gave U Mumba the early advantage in the tie-breaker, scoring a two-point raid to set the tone. From then on, U Mumba’s defenders controlled the tempo, giving the Season 2 champions a 6-5 win in the tie-breaker.
Published on Aug 30, 2025