Dabang Delhi will have to trample down the invincible force of table-toppers Patna Pirates to ensure a top-two finish in the Pro Kabaddi Season 8 league standings. Bengaluru’s Sheraton Grand Whitefield Hotel will be hosting this high-profile panga where Naveen’s capital franchise will be up against the crown holders in Match 126 of Season 8 caravan.
The forthcoming battle offers an intense level of action of Kabaddi as both feature combatants are sitting right at the peak of the points table. Delhi is featured with composed defenders while the Bihar-based franchise’s defensive department is the outrageous one. This encounter between two Northerners just right before the playoffs will give us a glimpse of what is waiting for us in the next round.
A Naveen-less Dabang fauj edged down the Pirates in their previous face-off as the thrilling contest ended on a 32-29 scoreline. In the absence of ‘Naveen Express’ former Pirates, Vijay Malik and Sandeep Narwal stood up and thrived the blue side responsibly. Patna showcased a top-notch defensive play and the vice-captain Neeraj Kumar bagged the defender of the match award scoring four tackle points.
The young gun Guman was given the rest in the previous fixture and the raider is expected to stay on the bench as Monu Goyat has regained his form. It’s a good opportunity for Ram Mehar Singh to rest the right-corner Sunil as the Maharashtra captain Shubham Shinde is also knocking on the door of the Starting 7. The fans are excited to see more action from the debutant Manjeet Sharma who shook the PKL stage in his previous substitute appearance by rapidly scoring five raids and two tackle points in a short span.
How have they done so far?
Three-time champions Patna is having a glorious Season 8 campaign so far statistically and practically as well. A first-place finish is quite evident for them at this point and the league’s most decorated franchise can go up to 90 points after having two games in hand.
The Capital-based franchise’s momentum was little grieved after losing the services of Naveen midway through the campaign but it didn’t derail their campaign. They’ll be aiming to fetch maximum points from the remaining two games to claim a direct entry to the playoffs round as a reward for the top-two finish.
Head to Head record
The previous win over Pirates brought Delhi’s count to five in this rivalry but they are still behind Patna’s stance of seven victories. Although the Capital-based franchise was on the winning side at the full-time whistle of the last three encounters between them.
Key Players
Naveen Goyat: Naveen missed the previous face-off with Patna Pirates as the raiding sensation was injured at that time. He has faced Patna in his PKL career three times and the Delhi raider achieved the Super 10 milestone on each occasion carrying a total of 41 with an average of 14 points per match. Goyat was removed earlier in the previous defeat against UP Yoddha due to fitness concerns and could score only one raid point and that too was a bonus one.
Shadloui is marching towards the orange band!
Mohammadreza Shadloui: The Iranian prince will be involved in a direct positional battle with Delhi’s ‘Naveen Express’. Mohammadreza claimed three tackle points during his last combat with Delhi attack and cruising on a fiery run after scoring 33 tackle points from the last seven games with five High 5s which also includes an 8-point performance against Gujarat Giants. With 72 tackle points from 20 games, he is just three points behind Sagar Rathee and is likely to dethrone him as Thalaivas are unofficially eliminated from the playoffs race.
Predicted Starting 7’s
Dabang Delhi: Naveen Goyat, Vijay Malik, Manjeet Sharma, Manjeet Chhillar, Jeeva Kumar, Sandeep Narwal, Joginder Narwal (C)
Patna Pirates: Prashanth Kumar Rai (C), Sachin Tanwar, Monu Goyat, Neeraj Kumar, Sajin Chandrasekar, Mohammadreza Shadloui, Shubham Shinde
Prediction
The prediction for this clash is quite hard as both teams are standing on equal chances of winning but Patna Pirates will leave no stone unturned to take revenge for their last defeat from Delhi. While a double over the eventual table-toppers will give immense confidence to the Delhi roster ahead playoffs gauntlet.