The first game of the Noida leg finished as another closely contested clash in PKL season 11, with U Mumba prevailing over the home side UP Yoddhas 35-33 at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Sunday. Ajit Chouhan and Rohit Raghav (8 points each) were the highest-scoring raiders for U Mumba, as they ensured that Bharat Hooda's Super 10 went in vain.
The home team took a commanding lead early in the first half as the raiders and defenders worked in tandem. This culminated in an impressive All Out inflicted on U Mumba in just the 14th minute, as the UP Yoddhas took a decisive lead.
Shivam Choudhary and Bharat Hooda were the main aggressors and were ably supported by stand-in skipper and left-corner defender Sumit. After their slow start in the first 10 minutes, U Mumba came back strongly to close out the first half. They got the UP Yoddhas All Out in the 7th minute, which reduced the deficit to just one point with five minutes left in the first half.
This difference was maintained until the very end of the first half, after U Mumba got Bharat Hooda out for a Super Tackle. At the end of the first 20 minutes, the score read 17-16. The script of the match changed in the second half, as U Mumba's raiders complemented the defensive unit led by their skipper Sunil Kumar.
However, after their initial blip, UP Yoddhas' raiders dragged their team back into the match. The U Mumba skipper was the last man standing and was tackled by Sumit as his side was All Out for a second time in the match.
With the match in the balance, UP Yoddhas took charge of proceedings as Bharat Hooda continued his raiding forays. Just when it seemed like U Mumba were on the back foot, Ajit Chouhan and Rohit Raghav turned the tide for their team.
In the dying moments, UP Yoddhas were inflicted with an All Out, which gave U Mumba the lead. This proved enough to seal the victory for the PKL season 2 champions.
