UP Yoddhas claim second-straight win as Surender Gill, Bharat Hooda score Super 10s
Hyderabad, October 23, 2024: UP Yoddhas delivered a dominant performance to defeat Bengaluru Bulls 57-36 at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad on Tuesday evening. In a high-scoring contest, Surender Gill led with 17 points while Bharat scored 14 a thrilling win for their side.
While both teams traded points early, Yoddhas quickly settled into rhythm with Bharat and Gill leading the charge, establishing a 9-point lead in the first phase. Bharat, who scored 7 points early on, further strengthened Yoddhas’ position by inflicting an ALL OUT on the Bengaluru Bulls. The trio of Surender Gill, Bharat, and Sumit maintained their dominance throughout the match to secure a convincing victory.
“Bharat has returned to form, and while the margin is a separate matter, his presence was very crucial for us. Our defense is also doing its job well,” noted Captain Surender Gill post the match.
Speaking about their strategy against former teammate Pardeep Narwal, Assistant Coach Upendra Malik elaborated, “When facing a raider like Pardeep, we need to play our raiders aggressively too. Pardeep can score 10-15 points in the last 5 minutes alone. He’s a good leader, and our plan was to prevent multiple-point raids. We were comfortable with him taking single points as our raiders could compensate.”
The UP Yoddhas camp is buzzing with confidence following their recent victory, with both leadership and coaching staff highlighting the team’s cohesive performance. The team successfully managed back-to-back matches, with the return of Bharat playing a crucial role in their lineup.
“Having tall raiders definitely gives us an advantage, especially in do-or-die raids and bonus point situations. With Surender and Bhavani being tall, it works in our favour,” added Assistant coach Upendra Malik
Looking ahead to their clash with Bengal Warriorz, both leaders acknowledged the challenge ahead.
Assistant coach Upendra Malik talking on the challenge ahead, shared, “Bengal Warriorz have excellent players in their ranks. If our defense maintains its form and our raids continue this way, we shouldn’t have any problems. The key is playing as a unit, just as we are doing now.”
Captain Surendra Gill also added, “They have strong players like Pushkar and Nitesh Bhai, who was previously with our team, and Maninder ji. We’ll need to play tight throughout. Their experience will be advantageous, but we’ll adapt our strategy accordingly.”