Pro Kabaddi 2016, Season 4: Puneri Paltans vs Bengaluru Bulls Preview - Match Prediction, Time, Venue, Playing Squads & Live Match Telecast info

Handed their first loss of this tournament, Bengaluru Bulls will be looking to get back to winnings ways as they take on the table toppers Puneri Paltans for the match no. 17 of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League at the Ganchibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. The Paltans have enjoyed a good run this season with just one loss in their campaign from five matches.

Also Read: Victory has charged team for rest of the tournament, says Rishank Devadiga

Bengaluru seems to be a force to reckon this season with major signings Mohit Chhillar, Surender Nada and Rohit Kumar performing exceedingly well. Mohit and Nada’s chemistry has always been a sore sight for eyes, even when they played for U-Mumba.

Also Read: 5 most memorable player performances from Jaipur leg

For Pune, Deepak Niwas Hooda has donned the role of the wrecker-in-chief who seems to be in rebellious form this season, which is helping Pune by leaps and bounds. Ajay Thakur has been secretly working his way around in the background with 11 points to his credit while the defence is also working like a well-oiled machine led by the wily Manjeet Chhillar.

Puneri Paltans performance so far

After dealing a huge loss to U-Mumba, the Paltans have been quietened down by the teams that have played them so far. Losing their first game of the season against the unbeaten Patna Pirates, the Paltans were expected to come back strong against Dabang Delhi but ended up with a tie after the game came to a close to finish their home leg with two wins, a tie and a loss.

Against Jaipur, both the departments came out strong, as Deepak Hooda and Ajay Thakur scored 13 points combined while Manjeet Chhillar, Ravinder Pahal combined to bring down the Panthers with ease.

Bengaluru Bulls performance so far

With 19 raid points to his name, Rohit Kumar has already proven why he was highly scouted after by the Bengaluru Bulls. With the right mix of patience and haste, both opposites on his side, Rohit has managed to score the important points.

Mohit Chhillar, Season 4’s costliest buy has proven his worth in gold and has been a vital player for the Bulls. In the absence or presence of skipper Nada, one can see Chhillar walking his team’s raider up to the half line and always giving his inputs before the raid, showcasing the quality and class of Mohit.

Vinod Kumar, a raider from the services has been used quite often and has performed reasonably well. Pawan Kumar, who was retained ahead of the season has been used very sparsely and has often shown up mainly during do-or-die raids. The Bulls best performance came up against the Warriors, where they inflicted a last minute all-out to grab the victory.

Match Prediction

Against the raiding prowess of Rohit and Deepak, Mohit Chhilar will have to be at his best to keep them at bay. The form of Manjeet Chhillar in the last few games proves it will be difficult to stop him and he will be the X-factor for this game. Ravinder Pahal too found his bearings against Jaipur, and will have to play a key role to add pressure onto the Bulls.

Rohit Kumar has found some form going into the game, and his contribution along with Vinod Kumar will be vital. With his height and turn, he will have to counter the defensive power of the Pune line-up. With Manjeet, Ajay, Somvir and Joginder having represented Bengaluru earlier, the impetus will be on the management to provide the Bulls with some ideas on how to go one step above the famed four.

Following some average games, Surender Nada will be looked upon to pitch in with vicious tackles. How he commands his troops to trouble the Paltans will have a major say in the outcome of the game, with the Bulls looking to regain some winning form.

Considering the form Pune are in, beating them will be a tough task for the Bulls. However, it is not impossible and Bengaluru will have to cash in on the opportunities that Pune provide whilst also cutting out on some childish mistakes of their own to go one up against the Paltans.

Squads

Puneri Paltans

Raiders : Ajay Thakur, Sonu Narwal, Akshay Jadhav, Jay Bahadur Bohara, Khomsan Thongkham.

Defenders: Ravinder Pahal, Joginder Narwal, Somvir Shekhar, Gurpreet Singh, I Ketut Ariana, Ravinder Kumar, Virender Chhillar.

All-Rounders: Manjeet Chhillar (Captain), Deepak Niwas Hooda, Nitin Tomar, Parmod Narwal, Dalbir, Preetam Chhillar.

Bengaluru Bulls

Raiders : Amit Rathi, Deepak Kumar Dahiya, Rohit Baliyan, Harish Naik, Pawan Kumar, Rohit Kumar, Pawan Kumar, SInotharan Kanesharajah, Sumit Singh, Vinod Kumar.

Defenders : Surender Nada (Captain), Mohit Chhillar, Ashish Sangwan, Jeeva Gopal, Manoj Kumar, Yogesh Hooda, Rahul Kumar, Nicholas George Mottaram, Ajay Singh.

All-Rounders : Sanjay Shrestha.