The PKL season 9 enters its final week of action at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune with U Mumba, Patna Pirates, Tamil Thalaivas, and Bengaluru Bulls entertaining the fans in Matchday 32.
U Mumba has lost their previous two matches and will square off against Puneri Paltan before they lock horns with Patna Pirates. The Pirates, on the other hand, are on a six-game winning streak and have Jaipur Pink Panthers to deal with.
Both U Mumba and Patna Pirates have the same number of points (33) from 11 games. However, the former occupies the sixth spot, one place above the latter owing to the higher points difference.
Tamil Thalaivas recently saw their five-game unbeaten streak come to an end against Puneri Paltan and need to be on their toes when they square off against Bengaluru Bulls.
Bengaluru Bulls have won three of their last five matches but had a tougher set of fixtures than their opponents this Sunday. They are positioned second in the table with 41 points from 12 games while the Thalaivas have seven points less than them and occupy fifth place.
Match 76: U Mumba vs Patna Pirates
U Mumba depends on the trio of Jai Bhagwan, Ashish, and Heiderali Ekrami to pick up raid points but they are yet to make a significant impact this season. Coming to their defenders, Harendra Kumar and Rinku have not lit up the season like their previous captain Fazel Atrachali.
Patna Pirates are a defense-heavy unit with Shadloui Chiyaneh and Neeraj Kumar both picking up High Five in their previous match. Although they have only Sachin to rely upon upfront, he creates the same impact as two raiders on the other side.
The last time these two sides faced each other, U Mumba held an 18-13 lead at half-time courtesy of Jai’s Super Raid which helped them inflict an ‘All Out’. However, the change of sides brought about a change of fortunes.
Sachin turned the tables for his side as Patna inflicted an All Out of their own. The Pirates extended their lead but U Mumba tried their best to trim it down by picking up five points in the last ninety seconds.
However, it was not enough as Patna won the contest 34-31. Considering the fact that they won the contest earlier in the season and have a strong form to back themselves, we predict the Pirates to win the tie.
Predicted Starting Seven
U Mumba: Rinku, Ashish, Harendra Kumar, Mohit , Jai Bhagwan, Heidarali Ekrami, Surender Singh (C)
Patna Pirates: Anuj Kumar, Sunil, Neeraj Kumar (C), Monu, Manish, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, Sachin Tanwar
Match 77: Tamil Thalaivas vs Bengaluru Bulls
Narender Hoshiyar and Ajinkya Pawar have stepped up to fill the vacant role left behind by Pawan Sehrawat, who has been ruled out of the season owing to an injury. Defensively speaking, Sagar and Sahil Singh have rarely let the opposition raiders have the last laugh.
For Bengaluru Bulls, Bharat and Vikash Khandola have piled on the touchpoints for their side. However, it was their defensive unit comprising of Mahender Singh, Saurabh Nandal, and Aman who helped them beat the Haryana Steelers in their last game.
Bengaluru Bulls outclassed Tamil Thalaivas 45-28 the last time these two sides met. Bharat bagged 12 points while Vikash Khandola had seven to his name. Narender’s Super 10 went in vain as the Thalaivas found themselves on the losing side of things.
Tamil Thalaivas have gone toe to toe with league leaders Puneri Paltan. So one can expect this contest to be a close one. However, owing to their superior defense, we predict Bengaluru Bulls to come out on top.
Predicted Starting Seven
Bengaluru Bulls: Neeraj Narwal, Bharat (C), Aman, Mayur Kadam, Saurabh Nandal, Vikash Kandola, Mahender Singh
Tamil Thalaivas: M. Abishek, Sagar, Himanshu, Narender, Sahil Singh (C), Mohit, Ajinkya Ashok Pawar