Gujarat Giants vs UP Yoddhas: Rakesh's 20-Point Heroics Seal Thrilling 41-39 Victory

In a thrilling PKL Season 12 high-intensity face-off at the SDAT Multi Purpose Indoor Stadium, Gujarat Giants vs UP Yoddhas gave a nail-biting thriller as the Giants held their nerve to win 41-39 on Thursday evening. The player of the night was Rakesh Sungroya, who earned a career-high 20 raid points, taking his team to consecutive wins and a season double over the Yoddhas.

Rakesh Sungroya Stars with Career-Best Show

Rakesh Sungroya was on fire, scoring 20 raid points, which is a record high in a single match of his career. His constant attacking display kept Gujarat in command of the contest for most of the match. Ultimately, aided by Lucky Sharma’s four successful tackles, the Giants squashed a late back by the Yoddhas to seal the win.

Gujarat Giants vs UP Yoddhas: First Half Highlights

Explosive Start: Each team exploded out of the gate as both teams’ captains got their respective teams on the board first. For Gujarat, it was Rakesh and for UP, it was Guman Singh.

Milestone Moment: Guman Singh achieved the milestone of 600 career raid points in the Pro Kabaddi League, and the night belonged to him more than ever before.

Gujarat’s First All-Out Caused: Rakesh’s multiple multi-point raids led to the first All-Out of the match, advancing Gujarat by four points.

Halftime Score: Gujarat Giants were ahead 22-19 in a closely fought first half.

Second Half: Momentum Swings and Late Drama

Early Domination: Lucky Sharma began the second half with a tackle while Rakesh was consistent again, as Gujarat Giants delivered yet another All-Out, which extended the lead to 10 points.

Yoddhas Fight Back: Guman Singh, ably assisted by Bhavani Rajput, launched a fighting comeback. Guman finished his Super 10, and Hitesh’s tackle enabled UP to enforce an All-Out of their own, bringing the margin down to three points.

Neck-and-Neck Battle: With the match level at 36-36 and then once again at 38-38 at the end of the final minute, the game was poised on a knife-edge.

Clutch Moments: Mohammadreza Shadloui made a crucial raid to put Gujarat ahead 40-39, and then Ankit Dahiya made the crucial tackle on Guman Singh to seal a 41-39 victory for the Giants.

Gujarat Giants vs UP Yoddhas: Impact on Standings

This narrow victory not only gave Gujarat Giants the season double over UP Yoddhas but also kept their playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, earlier in the night, despite Dabang Delhi’s loss to Bengal Warriorz, they confirmed a top-eight finish, thanks to this result.