The second encounter of the 44th Match Day brings an exhilarating panga where two Southern Pro Kabaddi League rivals will be battling against each other in Match 91 of the season eight campaign. Bengaluru’s Sheraton Grand Whitefield Hotel will be hosting this action-packed chapter of the ‘Dravidian Derby’ between Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas.
Two services teammates will turn for the coin-toss while representing counterpart courts for this clash. Thalaivas captain Surjeet is among the Top 5 successful defenders of the season so far while Titans skipper Rohit Kumar made a solid comeback with a sturdy all-round performance in their previous fixture. Tamil gaffer J Udayakumar was an integral part of the Telugu Titans coaching staff in the first four editions of the Pro Kabaddi League.
The previous face-off between these two franchises was held on the opening day of the season eight campaign. Where the high-scoring saga ended in a 40-40 settlement between these two rivals. It was a great day for Tamil Thalaivas’s defense at work as all four Starting 7 defenders of the side claimed multiple tackle points from the clash.
After their successful previous fixture, J Udayakumar is likely to continue with the same lineup retaining the combination of two raiders and five defenders. While it will be hard for Rajnish Dalal to make it to the Starting 7 as the in-form Titans raiding unit looked settled without him in their previous fixture.
How have they done so far?
Thalaivas winless run of five consecutive matches finally came to an end as the Chennai-based franchise crushed their arch-rivals on a one-sided scoreline of 42-24. Dashing Mumbaikar Ajinkya Pawar and the stalwart right corner Sagar Rathee starred in an 18 points triumph of Thalaivas.
On the other hand, Telugu Titans are having their worst-ever PKL campaign as the Hyderabad-based franchise is still standing with only one win from season eight. They’re fifteen points behind the 11th-placed Puneri Paltan side which indicates that it will be hard for the Titans to avoid the last-place finish. Although the high-scoring tie against the powerhouse Haryana Steelers brought positivity in the Telugu camp which will be key for their upcoming tight fixtures.
Head to head record
The Southern rivals faced each other seven times on the Pro Kabaddi League stage and the head-to-head count remains equal between both teams with three wins each with their last fixture was the first tied result of this rivalry. Interestingly, veteran C Arun has been part of all seven encounters between these two franchises as the cover defender joined Tamil Thalaivas in their first two seasons and is part of the Titans roster since 2019.
Key Players
Manjeet Dahiya: Day by day, Manjeet is transforming himself as an elite raider with his efficient raiding skills and top-notch consistency. The Services youngster was the top scorer of the match with 12 raid points when he faced Titans defense earlier this season. A marvelous Super 10 performance gave him momentum which he carried throughout the season and became Thalaivas most successful raider so far with 107 raid points from 13 appearances.
The acrobatic reflexes of Manjeet Dahiya!
Sandeep Kandola: Sandeep announced his grand comeback in the Pro Kabaddi League after six years with a classy High 5 performance against Thalaivas on the opening day of season eight. The ravenous left corner defender has bagged 12 tackle points from the last three fixtures including six tackle points in a most recent one. Rohit’s comeback has relieved captain pressure from the shoulders of Sandeep and he will be more fierce from onwards.
Predicted Starting 7’s
Telugu Titans: Rohit Kumar (C), Ankit Beniwal, Adarsh T, Surinder Singh, C Arun, Sandeep Kandola, Akash Choudhary
Tamil Thalaivas: Manjeet Dahiya, Ajinkya Pawar, Surjeet (C), Mohit Jakhar, Sagar Rathee, M Abhishek, Sahil Gulia
Prediction
Beyond a doubt, Tamil Thalaivas are hot favorites to win this Southern Derby contest although a vigilant captain like Surjeet will never commit a mistake by underestimating Telugu Titans as five valuable match-points are on stakes.