The Pro Kabaddi League is ready to set up in Kolkata with the Bengal Warriors taking on table-toppers Jaipur Pink Panthers in match 36 at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium.
The Bengal Warriors, who are languishing at the bottom of the table will have to face a Jaipur side that is high on confidence after some splendid performances in the last few matches. Jaipur would love to come out as the victors at the end of the match, which would further strengthen their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals while the Bengal Warriors would be hoping for a change of fortunes and hope to win the match in order to give their fans something to cheer about as a consolation.
Bengal Warriors performance so far
The Bengal Warriors have had a very disappointing run this season and look far from their best, having won just one game this season so far in the 8 games that they have played. The team that had won 5 of their first 6 games last season looks like a mere shadow of their old self. They have been outclassed by their opposition in nearly every aspect of kabaddi, and the team will have to get back to the drawing if they are to win any matches and make it a decent season.
They won their second match against Dabang Delhi 31-23, but have been unsuccessful is all of their matches ever since. The Warriors had lost 5 matches in a row before tying their last match 34-34 against the Puneri Paltan. The match against the Paltan gave the fans something to cheer about and saw a glimmer of the talent that the Warriors possess.
The only positive thing about their otherwise horrible season has been the experienced duo of Captain Nilesh Shinde and Girish Maruti Ernak. Nilesh has used his experience and skills as a defender to amass 21 tackle points which puts him 10th in the list of top defenders. He has been supported by Girish in the defence, who has scored 17 tackle points for his team.
Monu Goyat and Nitin Madane have looked good in the offence, and the two raiders are the only bright spots in the Warriors’ gloomy and lacklustre attack. Nitin Madane has used his agility and speed to collect 32 successful raid points which gives him the 7th position in the list of top raiders.
Monu Goyat has also been successful as a raider at times as he stands 12th in the list of top raiders with 25 raid points. They will have to be on their toes and use all of their raiding skills for the team’s advantage if the Warriors hope to cause an upset win over the Panthers.
Jaipur Pink Panthers performance so far
Jaipur Pink Panthers have had a mixed season with five wins, three losses and one draw in their campaign. The Panthers were on a splendid run, having won a hat-trick of matches against Dabang Delhi, Patna Pirates and a close encounter against Bengaluru Bulls, before losing their last match to U Mumba.
Season 4 has seen two of their best players, Jasvir Singh and Rajesh Narwal having great performances on a consistent basis for them. Captain Jasvir Singh has given some noteworthy performances as the chief raider for the side, with 44 successful raid points to his name which makes him stand fifth in the list of top raiders. Rajesh Narwal has ably supported his captain and played second fiddle to him, as he has collected 42 raid points and stand one position below Jasvir at sixth in the list of top raiders.
Ajay Kumar has done really well as a raider and has assisted Jasvir and Rajesh when required. Rajesh Narwal had a phenomenal game against Dabang Delhi which Jaipur won comfortably in one of the most one-sided games this season. Narwal collected 16 points for his team’s benefit, which saw them win the match 51-26. Shabeer Bapu has also looked good for them as he has 24 raid points for the Panthers.
Amit Hooda has been the cornerstone in Jaipur’s defence and has used his ankle holds and dashes to stop the opposition from scoring raid points. He has amassed 25 tackle points so far in the league, which puts him in the fourth position in the list of top defenders.
Ran Singh and Rajesh Narwal have solidified the defence of Panthers, making it very difficult for raiders to score points at will. Singh and Narwal both have 15 successful tackle points to their credit in the league. Both departments of the game for the Panthers looks high on confidence with almost everything working in their favour.
Match Prediction
This match can be considered to be an encounter between David and Goliath, as table toppers Jaipur will be taking on the Bengal Warriors, who are sitting at the bottom of the table. If everything works in favour of Jaipur, like it has been in most of their matches this season, then they can expect an easy win over the Warriors. The side from Bengal will have to give their best if they wish to see themselves come out as the winners of this match.
The duel between both the captains would be something to watch out for. Nilesh Shinde, captain of the Bengal side will have to do his best in order to stop Jasvir Singh, his opposite number from scoring crucial raid points. Girish Maruti Ernak will have to work with the defence to make sure Rajesh Narwal is unsuccessful in his raiding attempts.
Amit Hooda and Ran Singh will have to take the responsibility of foiling the raid attempts of the Bengal raiders, and they will be expected to stop Monu Goyat and Nitin Madane from scoring raid points for Bengal. Considering the form of both the teams on paper, it would be a safe bet to expect Jaipur to win this match, but the Bengal Warriors might cause an upset if their plans work and both departments have a good game for them.
Squads
Bengal Warriors
Defenders: Nilesh Shinde, Girish Ernak, Amit Singh Chhillar, Vishal Mane, Chaminda R.S.M, C.Arun, Ravi Kumar, Sushil Vijay Bhosle
All-rounders: Suyog Rajapkar, Yogesh Subhash Sawant
Raiders: Simon Kibura, Jang-Kun Lee, Nitin Mandane, Surjeet Narwal, Ravi Dalal, Shrikant Jadhav, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, Ravindra Ramesh Kumavat.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Raiders: Jasvir Singh (Captain), Shabeer Bapu, Ajay Kumar, Lo Chia Wei, Mahipal Narwal, Tushar Patil, Amit Nagar.
Defenders: Amit Hooda, Rohit Rana, Parveen Narwal, Jawahar.
All-Rounders: Ran Singh, Rajesh Narwal, Shrikant Tewthia, Kazuhiro Takano, Parvesh Bhainswal, Tae Deok Eom
Bengal Warriors vs Jaipur Pink Panthers Live Match Information
Date: 16/07/2016
Time: 20:00 IST
Venue: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium, Kolkata.
TV Channels: Star Sports 2/Star Sports 2 HD (English), Star Sports 3/Star Sports 3 HD (Hindi)
Live stream: StarSports.com
