The City of Nizams is buckling up for the third triple-threat matchday of the leg on the day when the ninth edition of Pro Kabaddi will also complete the landmark of 100 games. An intense saga of Matchday 42 will be held at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium of Hyderabad on Friday from 7:30 PM onwards.
The Naveen Express will be once again arriving at Hyderabad Junction with an aim to snatch five match points from the paws of Gujarat Giants. The second episode of the matchday will feature a high-profile encounter between the heavyweights Jaipur Pink Panthers and the dark horse Tamil Thalaivas side. In the final clash of the day, Haryana coach Manpreet Singh will be knitting his master plan against the Patna Pirates side whom he crowned as the champions in PKL 3.
Match 98: Gujarat Giants vs Dabang Delhi
Both of the combatants are turning up for this forthcoming battle after ending up on the losing side of their previous fixture and are determined to find the winning ways. Gujarat Giants ended up on the losing side of another hard-fought battle and had to be satisfied with a consolation point after a final scoreline of 35-31 in the favor of UP Yoddhas. Meanwhile, the defending champions have also pulled the gear at the right time to register consecutive victories in the previous game week.
The Capital-based franchise was enjoying its triumphant run as the defending champions when they crushed the Gujarat Giants side in the initial stages of the season. It was the second PKL 9 fixture for both combatants which consummated on a scoreline of 53-33 as a whopping total of 86 points were scored inside the 40 minutes of play. Multiple faces from the Dabang Fauj stepped up and led them towards the victory such as captain Naveen Goyat (15 raid points), Manjeet Sharma (10 total points) and Krishan Dhull (7 tackle points).
The Red Giants of Gujarat are currently seated in the second-last position in the standings hence the gaffer Ram Mehar Singh needs to make some major to keep themselves alive. Baldev Singh is expected to replace the Maharashtrian captain Shankar Gadai in the Starting Seven while the Highly-skilled Rakesh Sungroya may also receive rest after suffering from fitness concerns lately.
The combination in defense is working exceptionally well for the Dabang Fauj and the only change we can expect from them is Ravi Kumar in place of Deepak who had a rough day against Haryana. In the kind of form, Naveen Goyat and his boys are, they will be turning up for this encounter as favorites without a doubt.
Predicted Starting Seven
Gujarat Giants: Chandran Ranjith (C), Parteek Dahiya, Sonu Jaglan; Arkam Shaikh, Sourav Gulia; Rinku Narwal, Baldev Singh
Dabang Delhi: Naveen Kumar Goyat (C), Vijay Malik, Ashu Malik; Vishal Lather, Ravi Kumar; Sandeep Dhull, Amit Hooda
Match 99: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Tamil Thalaivas
Avenging their earlier defeat will be the ultimate aim of the Pink Panthers
After stumbling upon the great start of the Pune leg, the Thalaivas are back in form and playing according to their strength in the recent games. On the other hand, the disciples of Sanjeev Baliyan have established themselves as one of the strongest sides of the PKL ninth edition.
The inaugural Pro Kabaddi champions have emerged victorious in four of their previous five fixtures and are indulged into a three-way battle with Puneri Paltan and Bengaluru Bulls for the Top 2 position.
When the last time these two combatants faced each other, it was the first game of the Thalaivas under the new management led by Arjuna Awardee gaffer Ashan Kumar. And the Ashan Kumar era for the Chennai-based outfit started with a bang as they thrashed the powerhouse of the Pink Panthers on a final scoreline of 38-27. Arjun Deshwal who did not feature in the Starting Seven was subbed on to save themselves from the crisis and the Jaipur strike raider still scored 9 raid points despite struggling with fitness.
Himanshu Yadav made 14 raid attempts against U Mumba and all of them were empty raids however, the all-rounder was able to make difference with his defensive skills fetching three tackle points. Captain Sagar Rathee (8) and Sahil Gulia (5), both of the Thalaivas corner defenders bagged High 5s while attempting the unsuccessful tackles only once throughout the play.
The Starting Seven of the Rajasthan-based franchise is well-settled and does not need any changes before playoffs unless any injury crisis occurs at the Pink Panthers camp. Whether it’s raiding or defending, Jaipur has achieved commendable balance in both of the departments which ultimately makes favorites to win this contest.
Predicted Starting Seven
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Arjun Deshwal, Rahul Chaudhari, Ajith Kumar; Reza Mirbagheri, Sunil Kumar (C); Ankush Rathee, Sahul Kumar
Tamil Thalaivas: Narender Kandola, Ajinkya Pawar, Himanshu Yadav; Mohit Jakhar, M Abhishek; Sahil Gulia, Sagar Rathee (C)
Match 100: Haryana Steelers vs Patna Pirates
The deadliest defender of the past two Pro Kabaddi seasons is in full swing
The Bihar-based franchise will be having a slight psychological advantage of winning their earlier high-scoring encounter after a 13-point heroics of Sensational Sachin Tanwar. The game witnessed two defenders wearing the colors of Patna scoring a High 5, Captain Neeraj Kumar (5) and Iranian corner-defender Mohammadreza Shadloui (6). The dashing Haryana raider Manjeet Dahiya who was playing against his former side was the only performing star from the Steelers camp after scoring 10 raid points.
Haryana has lost both of their previous two games in a one-sided manner which has narrowed down the chances of the Steelers getting the playoffs qualification. As we all expected, the comeback of Sachin Tanwar into the Patna 7 changed their fortunes and kept them on the winning side of a 36-35 thriller. The Sensational Sachin played a pivotal role in the one-point triumph scoring 14 raid points consisting of 13 touches and a solitary bonus at the strike rate of 58%.
Master Manpreet Singh made a change in his lineup against Dabang Delhi, setting the stage for the debut of youngster Sunny Sehrawat at the right cover position. However, it backfired and the gaffer had to get back to Mohit Nandal who went on to scalp three tackle points in order to strengthen his claim for the Starting Seven.
Meanwhile, Patna also brought their old knight Sajin Chandrasekar back to the left cover position which fared quite well for them as the Tamizhan defender is likely to continue. The Pirates have the services of Sachin and Mohammadreza which always keeps them ahead of an unstable opposition like Haryana and also indicates their bright chances of emerging victorious.
Predicted Starting Seven
Haryana Steelers: Manjeet Dahiya, Meetu Sharma, K Prapanjan; Jaideep Dahiya, Mohit Nandal; Nitin Rawal (C), Amirhossein Bastami
Patna Pirates: Sachin Tanwar, Rohit Gulia, Monu Sandhu; Sajin Chandrasekar, Neeraj Kumar (C); Mohammadreza Shadloui, Sunil Narwal