A hard-fought comeback from the UP Yoddhas saw them beat the Patna Pirates 34-31 in what was a closely-fought contest to the very end at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on Monday. Sumit and Ashu Singh got much-deserved High Fives, while Gagan Gowda scored seven points as the Yoddhas secured an impressive victory.
In the opening 10 minutes, Patna Pirates edged ahead of UP Yoddhas, leading 7-6 in what began as a tightly fought clash. Patna’s young raider Ayan Lohchab was the standout performer in this phase, notching up three raid points and twice sending the Yoddhas defenders to the bench.
Ankit made his presence felt with a crucial tackle on Guman Singh, while Maninder Singh chipped in with a successful raid to keep the Pirates narrowly in front. For the Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda looked lively with a couple of sharp raids, while Ashu Singh and Sumit contributed with important defensive tackles.
Midway through the half, Ayan produced the game’s defining moment — a brilliant raid that took out Ashu Singh and Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi, inflicting the first All Out on UP Yoddhas. He continued to dominate thereafter, adding points at regular intervals, including a raid that removed Mahender Singh and Bhavani Rajput in quick succession.
