"It may have come late but we still have time" - UP Yoddhas assistant coach reflects on massive win over U Mumba in Pro Kabaddi 2025

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UP Yoddhas assistant coach Upendra Malik opened up on their big win against U Mumba in Pro Kabaddi 2025. They beat the former champions 40-24.

He lauded Guman Singh for his Super 10. Guman picked up 12 raid points. However, the UP Yoddhas assistant coach highlighted that the defense played as a unit. He reckoned that while such a performance came late, they remained in contention to make the top eight.

"Guman has done well in the last two games. When a raider performs like this, it helps the defense as well. Guman has played well but the defense came together as a unit today and showed their strength. It may have come late but we still have time," he said during the post-match press conference.

Mahender Singh and Hitesh bagged four tackle points each. Ashu Singh scored three tackle points. Skipper Sumit Sangwan scored two tackle points. UP Yoddhas are ninth on the table with 10 points from 14 matches.

"We did not repeat the mistakes we were making in the last few games. The defense and offense both did well. This win was much-needed for us and this will give us confidence," Sumit stated.

"We can make a comeback after this win" - UP Yoddhas assistant coach on next match and playoffs chances

UP Yoddhas will face Tamil Thalaivas next on Tuesday, October 14. Upendra Malik reckoned that the Thalaivas are a good side. He deemed Arjun Deshwal and Nitesh Kumar as their best players. However, he stressed on preparing well overall.

He added that they will aim to build on the confidence from a big win. The assistant coach also hoped to carry the momentum forward.

"Tamil Thalaivas is a good team. Arjun is a brilliant raider and Nitesh is a very good defender. We will have to be careful of everyone but particularly more about these two. We will try our best to control them. We have gotten a win after a long time and a big win. So definitely it will give the whole team confidence. We know our team is good and we can make a comeback after this win. We will hope to hold onto the momentum from here," he said.

UP Yoddhas' other three games are against Haryana Steelers, Jaipur Pink Panthers, and U Mumba.

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About the author

Rishab Vm

Rishabh is an Indian Sports writer at Sportskeeda who covers Kabaddi, Hockey, Indian football and Olympic sports for the website. He has an overall experience of around 3 years and has worked with My Khel in the past along with interning at The News Minute, Times Network and Deccan Herald.

Rishabh has done MA in Media and Communication Studies. He also worked in Sportskeeda’s Comms team and won the ‘Commentator of the Month’ award twice. He covered the Pro Kabbadi League and two of his articles were also featured on Jaipur Pink Panthers’ official website.

Rishabh started following sports after 2020 Olympics and also after his experience of watching Bengaluru FC at the Kanteerava Stadium in the ISL between 2019 and 2023. His favorite athlete is Neeraj Chopra as he’s brought a revolution in Indian sports. His historic gold medal win at the 2020 Olympics left a lasting impact on Rishabh.

He strives to ensure that his articles are accurate and he verifies information from multiple credible sources. When not working, he likes playing badminton and football.

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