A couple of big matches will be seen on Day 35 of the Pro Kabaddi League with Patna Pirates set to take on Tamil Thalaivas in the first match and Naveen Kumar’s Dabang Delhi will have a face-off against Pardeep Narwal’s UP Yoddhas.
The way Patna Pirates started their PKL 9, it seemed like they had lost their momentum throughout, but the big team has fought back and is winning in style now. Last season’s finalists won five consecutive games and are in the fifth position in the points table. Their competitor Tamil Thalaivas came back strongly too with five victories so far in the season. Currently, they stood in the eighth spot.
Dabang Delhi was roaring in the Bengaluru leg by being at the top of the table, but the giants are now struggling to win in the Pune leg. Their recent loss against Jaipur Pink Panthers was a terrible one which was a 25-point defeat. With some good performances in the past, they are still very much in contention for the playoffs though. On the other hand, UP Yoddhas are steadily finding their rhythm back and are currently in the seventh spot in the table.
Let us take a look at the previews and predictions of the Day 35 matches:
Match 82: Patna Pirates vs Tamil Thalaivas
Comeback king Patna Pirates have been brilliant with the kind of Kabaddi they have shown in the past few games. With five victories on the trot, the Pirates are now showing their champion side. The game against Jaipur Pink Panthers was a splendid one where Rohit Gulia and Sachin handled the raiding department whereas Mohammadreza Chiyaneh and captain Neeraj Kumar showed their defensive power.
On the other hand, Tamil Thalaivas lost a close game against the home side Puneri Paltan in their previous clash, yet it was an all-round show from the team. Narender’s Super 10 and some brilliant defending from skipper Sagar and M. Abhishek took the game to the last minute.
The encounter between Patna and Tamil will be a crucial one for both as they have a chance to rise up to the table. Both sides were not at their best in the beginning but came back with a bang as the tournament progressed. Talking about their head-to-head battles, Patna Pirates have won six times while Tamil Thalaivas have won just thrice in PKL history. Two games ended with a tie which is not a big surprise.
With Chiyaneh back in form for the Pirates, he can be dangerous against the Thalaivas. He, along with Neeraj Kumar will be the players to watch out for from Patna Pirates. With some exceptional defending in the last game, Thalaivas would like to continue with the same department with M. Abhishek as the key in this battle.
Predicted Starting Seven
Tamil Thalaivas: Narender, M. Abhishek, Mohit, Himanshu, Ajinkya Pawar, Sagar ©, Sahil Gulia
Patna Pirates: Sachin, Neeraj Kumar ©, Manish, Rohit Gulia, Monu, Sunil, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh
Match 83: Dabang Delhi vs UP Yoddhas
Naveen Kumar’s Dabang Delhi showed a Steller performance in the Bengaluru leg but couldn’t continue their fine performance in the Pune leg. They are currently below the UP Yoddhas at the eighth spot with six wins whereas the Yoddhas are in the fifth spot with the same number of victories.
After Delhi’s recent loss against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, they would now look to be back on the winning track with a win over UP Yoddhas. Pardeep Narwal & Co. on the other hand made a terrific comeback in the tournament with two back-to-back victories against the Telugu Titans and the Haryana Steelers.
Both sides have an equal number of victories in Season 9 and the winner of this encounter will move ahead in the table. Talking about their head-to-head battles to date, UP Yoddhas are ahead with five victories whereas Dabang Delhi has won thrice out of a total of eight matches.
Vijay Malik from Delhi showed promise in their previous battle against the Panthers by scoring a magnificent Super 10. However, skipper Naveen failed to deliver this time. On the other hand, UP Yoddhas were terrific in their game against Telugu Titans, thanks to some superb defending from the left-corner Sumit. Also, a Super 10 from Surender Gill made sure that the Yoddha reached the winning line safely.
It is going to be interesting to see how Naveen will play in this match as he is the man to watch out for. From UP Yoddhas, it will be Surender Gill and Pardeep Narwal will be key players. UP Yoddhas are favorites to win the encounter keeping in mind their current form.
Predicted Starting Seven
UP Yoddhas: Pardeep Narwal ©, Gurdeep, Ashu Singh, Surender Gill, Rohit Tomar, Nitesh Kumar, Sumit
Dabang Delhi: Naveen Kumar ©, Ravi Kumar, Vishal, Vijay Malik, Ashu Malik, Krishan, Vijay Kumar