Author: Kshitij Kumar Ojha

Friday’s finale was as thrilling as it could get as the match was decided in the very last raid, with Delhi edging the Pirates by just one point to win the game by a 37-36 scoreline. The game started at a slow pace as both teams did not look to attack much, the defence of both the sides played a rather passive game as compared to other games. The Pirates defence, in particular, avoided any advance tackles in the first half. Delhi’s defence did not do much in the first half either. However, PP were able to inflict an all-out…

Puneri Paltan lost 31-42 to UP Yoddha in the Eliminator 1 on February 21. The star for Yoddha was Pardeep Narwal, who scored 18 raid points. The Paltan were coming into this match on the back of some impressive performances in their last few games. A bit of luck also helped them as Haryana Steelers lost to Patna Pirates in their last game of the league stage to give PP a chance to qualify at the sixth spot. In the first five minutes of the Eliminator, Anup Kumar’s men seemed to be using the opportunity just the way they would have liked as they managed an eight-point lead…

The Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 playoffs began on February 22 as Puneri Paltan took on UP Yoddha in the Eliminator 1 and Gujarat Giants took on the Bengaluru Bulls in the Eliminator 2. In the first game, the experienced UP Yoddha were up against a young Puneri Paltan side. UP were playing in their fourth consecutive playoff match, while most of the Pune side did not have the experience at the top level. That showed in the end result as PP lost 42-31. They got all out thrice during the course of the game.  Puneri Paltan, though, started on a bright note…

UP Yoddha became the second team to qualify for the playoffs in the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 after beating U Mumba 35-28 in the last game of the league stage. The side will now face Puneri Paltan in the first eliminator on February 21. UP Yoddha won 10 games, tied three games and lost nine in the ongoing edition of the tournament. These stats were enough for them to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive time. Credit: UP Yoddha On being questioned what different strategy Yoddhas will adopt to try and qualify for the finals this…

The league games of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 ended with another triple panga night. Three playoff spots were vacant and five teams were in contention. Jaipur Pink Panthers had a very simple equation in front of them to qualify for the last six. They just had to beat Puneri Paltan. But instead, they suffered a 30-37 defeat and lost the opportunity to play in the next stage. Mohit Goyat (High 5) and Aslam Imandar (Super 10) starred for PP, while the efforts of Arjun Deswal for the Panthers went in vain. He scored 18 raid points but didn’t get any support from any other team…

The Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 is nearing its end, with the playoffs slated to begin from February 21. But before that, three teams are still to be finalized for the last six. There are three league games still left, and five teams are still in contention for a place in the playoffs. Patna Pirates, UP Yoddha and Dabang Delhi have already secured their place in the top six. While Bengaluru Bulls, Haryana Steelers, Gujarat Giants, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan are still in contention for a place in the final six. Here we look at what these five teams need to do to qualify for the playoffs. Gujarat…

In the first match of the night, playoff hopefuls Puneri Paltan took on reigning champions Bengal Warriors. Despite being already out of the race to the next stage, the Warriors were not going out easily as they claimed a 43-36 victory in their final game. Paltan still keep their chances of reaching the playoffs, but now they have to beat Jaipur Pink Panthers by a big margin to come close to the score difference of other teams. The star for the Warriors was Maninder Singh, who scored yet another Super 10. Abozar scored four tackle points in defence. As far as Puneri Paltan…

The Pro Kabaddi League organisers on February 16 announced the new format for the playoffs for season 8.  The final is slated to be played on February 25, while the playoff games are scheduled to be played on February 21 and 23.  This time, like the last time around, there will be two eliminator matches in the playoffs and two semifinals. In season 7, the league did away with its zonal format. Each team played the other team twice. The format for the playoffs was also changed as season 6 included three eliminator games and two qualifiers. As of today, three teams have already qualified…

It was the most important night in the Pro Kabaddi League season 8 so far, as five of the six teams contesting were fighting for a playoff berth. In their last game of the season, UP Yoddha became the second team to officially qualify for the playoff stage as they beat U Mumba by a comfortable margin in the end. The game started off with a super raid by Pardeep Narwal. It seemed that the stalwart would continue with his good form, but he couldn’t capitalise on the good start he got as he managed only six raid points on the day. Surinder Gill scored eight raid points. The star…

Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Telugu Titans 54-35 on Wednesday to secure a place in top six in the race to playoffs of the Pro Kabaddi League season 8. This victory has propelled the Jaipur team to the fifth spot in the points table. If they had lost this game, they would have made it difficult for themselves to qualify for the playoffs. By winning this game, they don’t have to rely on other results going their way now, provided they win their last game against Puneri Paltan.  The game against TT wasn’t going to be easy for the Panthers as Titans…