The second semi-final of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi season 4 will see, the Telugu Titans go head to head against the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the Gachibowli indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. After losing four matches, the Rahul Chaudhari led team fired on all cylinders and are currently unbeaten in the last 9 matches. Having the league’s best raider Rahul Chaudhari and best corner defenders Sandeep Narwal and Dhull in their ranks, the Titans could possibly overcome Jaipur's threat, if they play as a unit. A home advantage will be a added boost for the Titans heading into Friday’s encounter.
After failing to reach the final four in the last two seasons, the inaugural champions Jaipur Pink Panthers is a first team to seal a semi-final spot in season 4. The Abhishek Bachchan owned team won both the encounters against the table toppers Patna Pirates, however, they lost to Telugu Titans in their last league game. With a destructive attack and a compact defence, Jaipur can match Telugu’s challenge all the way.
Match Prediction
This match will see a battle between two best raiders of both teams, Rahul Chaudhari and Jasvir Singh. Although, Jasvir hasn’t scored even half the raid points compared to Rahul’s tally of 119, the Jaipur skipper with his canny raids could trouble the Titans' defence on Friday.
The chants of “Rahul Rahul” will reverberate at the Gachibowli indoor stadium, when the poster boy takes the centre stage on Friday. With 119 raid points, including six super tens in the last 10 matches, Rahul has been a nightmare for the opposition defenders. With impeccable raids, Rahul also scored a super ten in the previous clash against Jaipur and won many duels against the in-form Amit Hooda.
Also read: Ranking Pro Kabaddi League teams based on defensive performances in season 4
Nilesh Salunke bailed the team out on many occasions, whenever Rahul stays off the mat. With 41 raid points, the young Nilesh faces a stern battle against the defensive trio of Ran Singh, Rohit Rana and Amit Hooda.
The cornerstones of the Titans’ defence Sandeep Narwal and Sandeep Dhull have scored a combined 72 tackle points between them. The cover defenders Jasvir Singh Gulia and Vinod also stepped up to the plate time and again to support the corner defenders. The solid Titans defence will face a huge task against the dangerous Ajay Kumar and Rajesh Narwal.
Jaipur’s young sensation Ajay Kumar's magical raids turned the tide in favour of Jaipur on many occasions and moreover he has been tackled only once in 40 minutes. No doubt, Ajay will be Jaipur’s trump card against the Telugu Titans in Friday’s semi-final. Jasvir Singh and Rajesh Narwal should complement Ajay in the attack.
After starting a season on a bright note Shabeer Bapu’s poor run of form in the recent matches has been a big concern for Jaipur. It’s high time for the for Shabeer to put a stellar show against the Titans.
Although Amit Hooda capitulated to Rahul Chaudhari’s breathtaking attack in the previous match, the 20-year-old has been rock solid on the right corner in season 4 with 40 tackle points. His defensive partner Ran Singh also had a great PKL season 4 despite his initial struggles.
The Telugu Titans won four out of the last eight matches at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, while the Jaipur Panthers registered the biggest win in season 4 against Dabang Delhi in the same venue. Both teams met each other in season 2 and the match ended in a tie.
Jaipur leads the overall head to head with 4-3, but, however, it stands 1-1 in season 4. This match is going to be an intense battle between Titans ‘ ruthless attack against Jaipur's compact defence.
It’s a difficult call but the momentum of Telugu Titans in season 4 holds a cutting edge over their enemies, therefore, we go with Rahul Chaudhari led team to clinch a narrow win on Friday.
Squads
Telugu Titans
Defenders: Vinod Kumar, Sandeep Dhull, Jasmer Singh Gulia,
All-rounders: Rupesh Tomar, Sandeep Narwal, Mohammad Maghsoudlou, Shashank Wankhede, Aklhaq Hussain, Muhammed Rizwan, Sagar B. Krishna, Vishal Bhardwaj
Raiders: Vinoth Kumar, K.Prapanjan, Nilesh Salunke. Rahul Chaudhary, Sukesh Hegde, Sombir, Athul MS
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Defenders: Wei Yang, Rohit Rana, Amit Hooda,
All-rounders: Rajesh Narwal, Shrikant Tewathia, Ran Singh, Parvesh Bhainswal, Parween Narwal
Raiders: Jasvir Singh, Masayuki Shimokava, Mahipal Narwal, Shabeer Bappu, Lo Chia Wei, Tushar Patil, Amit Naga
Telugu Titans vs Jaipur Pink Panthers live match information
Date: 29/07/2016
Time: 21:00 IST
Venue: Gachibowli indoor stadium
TV Channels: Star Sports 2/Star Sports 2 HD (English), Star Sports 3/Star Sports 3 HD (Hindi)
Live stream: StarSports.com
