Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Inter Zone Challenge Week - Match 27, Dabang Delhi KC vs Bengal Warriors| Match Preview| Probable Lineups
On the 21st of October 2018, the first match of the Inter Zone Challenge Week in Pro Kabaddi League Season 6 will get under way. This week will feature teams from the 2 zones going up against each other, rather than within the zones. Dabang Delhi KC will take on the Bengal Warriors who have been on song so far.
It has been a good season so far for Dabang Delhi as they have managed to win 1 game, tie one and lost a very close game to the Haryana Steelers. Their defense is one of the best in the whole league, with the likes of Vishal Mane, Ravinder Pahal and their captain Joginder Singh Narwal being in the squad.
Their defense has been good in certain instances but has not been consistent with their performances. They have leaked points during crunch situations and gave away the match to Haryana Steelers when they should have held on for a win.
Joginder, the captain and left corner, has been terrific to watch when he is in form but has been a bit reckless, rather than aggressive, scoring 9 points from 3 games. On the contrary, the right corner Ravinder Pahal has had a good season so far, scoring 12 points with a High 5 to his name.
Vishal Mane was good to watch against the Puneri Paltan when he scored a High 5 but has blanked in the other games with only 6 points in total. The team will expect more from him.
With the defense being the powerhouse, the raiding unit needed a bit of a bite and the team signed young Naveen Kumar and Pawan Kadian along with experienced Shabber Bapu and Chandran Ranjit. Meraj Sheykh, the Iranian, was retained by the team but he has not given a strong performance yet, scoring just 6 points in 3 games.
Naveen has got 15 points from 3 games, with 2 of them as a substitute and the team certainly will give him more raiding opportunities. Pawan Kadian, the leading scorer for Jaipur Pink Panthers last season, has looked good this season, scoring 17 points while the veteran Shabber Bapu has hardly been used at all. Also missing was Rajesh Narwal, the versatile all rounder.
Their real star, though, has been Chandran Ranjit who saved them from the brink of defeat and salvaged a draw against the Fortune Giants, his former team, before giving solid raiding performances in the next 2. He has 24 points, which also include 3 crucial tackle points.
The Bengal Warriors have had a great start to this season, winning 2 of their 3 games and tying one. Maninder Singh has been their star performer so far, with 36 points from 3 games.
Shrikanth Tewatia and captain Surjeet Singh, who has scored 11 points, have also looked good in their roles as the right corner and right cover defender respectively, while Bangladeshi Ziaur Rahman will hope to come good this game after a poor start to the season so far. With the change in formation this season, Ran Singh was forced to play left corner which he has done well, scoring 7 points from 3 games.
Bengal have not been biased towards raiding or defending but have found the right balance to their side. They will be relieved and will be more confident after Jang Kun Lee got back in form with a good performance last game, scoring 9 points.
Both teams will look to assert their places in their respective zones as the league is slowly getting into its element and teams are starting to find the right balance. Delhi have been rated underdogs for a long time and will want to get a win in this match, rounding off a good start to the season and making a statement to the rest of the teams.
Bengal made the playoffs last year, narrowly losing out on a place in the final to eventual champions Patna Pirates. They have assembled a good squad, nevertheless, and will look to continue their great start this season with yet another win and make it to the top of the table in Zone B.
Probable Lineups: Bengal Warriors- Surjeet Singh(C), Maninder Singh, Shrikanth Tewatia, Ran Singh, Jang Kun Lee, Mahesh Goud, Ziaur Rahman
Dabang Delhi KC- Joginder Singh Narwal(C), Ravinder Pahal, Chandran Ranjit, Pawan Kadian, Viraj Vishnu, Vishal Mane, Naveen Kumar.
When and where to watch: 8:00 pm IST on October 21st on Star Sports 2
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Sudeshna Banerjee