Pro Kabaddi 2019, Match 4: Telugu Titans vs Tamil Thalaivas, predicting each team's starting 7

Home team Telugu Titans take on Tamil Thalaivas in Southern derby.
Home team Telugu Titans take on Tamil Thalaivas in Southern derby.

On the back of exhilarating finishes last night, the VIVO Pro Kabaddi 2019 was off to a great start at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. The Telugu Titans, however, finished on the losing side and will look to bounce back to winning ways.

U Mumba defeated Telugu Titans in the opening match of PKL 7. Looking to put this loss behind, the Titans will be hoping to open their account in the points tally.

The Tamil Thalaivas, on the other hand, will play their first match of the tournament. Having finished in the bottom half of the points table in both their last two seasons, the Thalaivas will be keen on putting up an impressive show.

Head To Head Record

Telugu Titans have won four matches against the Tamil Thalaivas while the Thalaivas have two wins over the Hyderabad-based franchise.


Telugu Titans

Siddharth Desai will lead the offense and try to get back on winning ways.
Siddharth Desai will lead the offense and try to get back on winning ways.

The Telugu Titans did not have the greatest of starts to PKL 7 as they fell to a loss against U Mumba. Star raider Siddharth Desai picked up his first point only in the 33rd minute of the game and finished with just five points. Rajnish was top raider for Titans with seven raid points.

The Siddharth Desai-led raiding attack will have to face the Thalaivas' balanced defensive unit which comprises of some superstars such as Manjeet Chhillar, Ran Singh and Mohit Chhillar.

The Titans' defense was a positive in yesterday's game with the likes of skipper Abozar Mohajermighani and Vishal Bhardwaj picking two points apiece while Farhad Milaghardan picked up points in both departments. However, they will face a big task, having to stop Raid machine Rahul Chaudhari and the Iceman Ajay Thakur.

Titans might change their starting seven by playing Farhad at the right cover that could open up a position for a raider to feature such that Siddharth and Rajnish could get support in the offense. Armaan could be playing his first match of season 7 today.


Tamil Thalaivas

Emotions will flow high when Rahul Chaudhari raids for the first time against Telugu Titans.
Emotions will flow high when Rahul Chaudhari raids for the first time against Telugu Titans.

The Tamil Thalaivas unit looks extremely strong on the paper. However, in what will be their first game of season 7, they will need to put across that experience on the mat and give the home side a tough challenge.

Rahul Chaudhari will raid against his former team Telugu Titans in Hyderabad which could be the highlight of today's game. He will have the support of his national captain Ajay Thakur, who is one of the best raiders in PKL history. The duo of Abozar and Vishal will need to be at their best to stop the Thalaivas' raiders.

Manjeet Chhillar will lead the Thalaivas' defense. Ace defender Mohit Chhillar and Ran Singh who play at the corner positions are also in the team. This new look defense unit will look to make matters difficult against Siddharth Desai and Rajnish.

With Ajay Thakur and Rahul Chaudhari set to assume a majority of the raiding duties for the Thalaivas, Shabeer Bappu could play as the third raider. Ponaparthiban Subramanian might play as a right cover with Manjeet, Mohit and Ran Singh set to complete the starting 7.


Predicted Starting 7

Telugu Titans: Abozar Mighani (Right Corner), Armaan (Right In), Farhad Milaghardan (Right Cover), Siddharth Desai (Center), C Arun (Left Cover), Rajnish (Left In), and Vishal Bhardwaj (Left Corner)

Tamil Thalaivas: Mohit Chhillar (Right Corner), Ajay Thakur (Right In), Ponprathiban Subramanian (Right Cover), Rahul Chaudhari (Center), Manjeet Chhillar (Left Cover), Shabeer Bappu (Left In), and Ran Singh (Left Corner)

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Edited by Prasen Moudgal