The Telugu Titans will take on Dabang Delhi, in Match 41, at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium, Kolkata. The Titans are on a brilliant run of 5 consecutive undefeated matches, and another win here, against the very unpredictable Dabang’s, will get them ever so close to sealing a spot in the semis. Telugu are currently 3rd in the table, with 5 wins and a draw and the Titans will be desperate to get points out of today’s match as U Mumba are just 5 points behind them with a game in hand.
Dabang Delhi continues to disappoint in this season’s Pro Kabaddi League, with another poor season. The Dabang’s have never managed to qualify for the semis, and it looks seemingly unlikely to happen this season, too. They are 7th in the table, with only 3 wins. Delhi still has a mathematical chance of qualifying, but it is a little too late now.
Telugu Titans performance so far
Telugu faced Bengal last night, in what turned out to be a thriller, as the Titans staged an amazing comeback to draw the match at 34-34. Skipper, Rahul Chaudhuri took some time to get going but he wasn’t to be kept quiet for too long, as he inflicted the first all-out of the match. Nilesh Salunke provided him splendid support as he troubled the Warriors defense time and again, scoring a super 10 in the 37th minute.
Jang-Kun Lee was en route to becoming the hero of the match, as he displayed some magnificent acrobatics and scored a super 10. Neither of the teams held on to the lead for too long, and the dying minutes was a battle between two super raiders, Rahul Chaudhuri and Jang-Kun Lee. In the last raid of the game, the Korean attempted to tackle Chaudhuri and seal the match for the Warriors, but his chase was unsuccessful. Lee’s heroics went in vain, as the Titans earned crucial points.
The Telugu Titans have turned up the heat in the second half of the group stages and a lot of credit has to go to their skipper. Rahul Chaudhuri is on fire, and is currently the 2nd best raider in Season 4, with 75 raid points. If past performances are anything to go by, the Delhi defence is in for a long night.
Titans second raider, Nilesh Salunke, too has been impressive this season and has scored 36 raid points. He’ll have a crucial role to play alongside Chaudhuri. Youngsters, Vinod and Sandeep Dhull have put in some age-defying performances this season, with strong ankle holds and good pace across the mat.
The two rising stars will spearhead the Titans defense, and will have to put up a good showing against the likes of Kashiling Adake and Selvamani K. Dhull has registered 26 tackle points and Vinod has 25.
Dabang Delhi performance so far
Dabang Delhi surprised many with their performance in their last match as they thrashed the Bengaluru Bulls, 40-20. The Bulls changed their strategies a bit, as the pressure was taken off Rohit Kumar, as Hooda and Sehrawat handled most of the attacking duties. The game burst into life just minutes before the first half, as Kashiling Adake came up with a super raid, which eventually led to an all out. Delhi led by 7 points at the end of first-half.
It was time for Delhi’s captain, Meraj Sheykh, to come to the party, as he inflicted a super tackle early into the second half. Bulls were completely outclassed in all departments and had no answer to anything that Delhi threw at them. After taking a resounding lead, Delhi tried on some fresh faces late into the game.
Kashiling Adake will definitely be the player to watch out for, after their last match. Adake started Season 4 slowly but displayed some amazing form as he ravaged the Bulls defence. Adake’s form will be vital if Delhi is to have a shot at qualification. He will look to exploit the young defence, and give Delhi an early lead.
Delhi’s Iranian import, Meraj Sheykh, has been the standout player for the Dabangs this season. His vicious tackles and vital raids have troubled oppositions throughout Season 4, with 23 raid points. Sheykh and Adake will have a huge role to play in today’s match.
Sachin Shingade has been a beast in Delhi’s defence this season and has 28 successful tackles to his name. Arguably Dabang’s best defender this season, Shingade will be hoping to continue his good form against Telugu’s in-form attacking duo of Rahul Chaudhuri and Nilesh Salunke.
Match prediction
The match promises to be an enthralling one as the in-form Titans go head-to-head against the unpredictable Dabang’s. Chaudhuri and Salunke vs Meraj Sheykh and Shingade will be a battle to watch out for.
Telugu are the in-form team, and has the edge over Delhi in today’s match, but a match which involves Delhi can be hard to predict. It all depends on which Delhi team decides to show up- the side that was humiliated 26-51 by Jaipur Pink Panthers, or the team that thrashed Bulls in their last match.
Squads
Telugu Titans
Raiders: Rahul Chaudhari (Captain), Sukesh Hegde, Nilesh Salunke, K Prapanjan, Athul MS, Vinoth Kumar.
Defenders: Vinod, Sandeep Dhull, Shashank Wankhede, Sombir, Akhlaq Hussain
All-Rounders: Sandeep Narwal, Jasmer Singh Gulia, Mohammad Maghsoudlou, Muhammad Rizwan, Rupesh Tomar, S Mahalingam, Sagar B Krishna, Vishal Bharadwaj.
Dabang Delhi
Defenders: Ram Kumar Sah, Prashant Chavan, D.Gopu, D.Suresh Kumar, Sachin Shingade
All-rounders: Bhupender Singh, Meraj Sheykh, Hadi Tajik, Phonchoo Tin, Manjeet
Raiders: Kashiling Adake, Selvamani K, Prashant Kumar Rai, Deepak Narwal, Umesh Mhatre, Sanket Chavan, Vikash Khandol
Telugu Titans vs Dabang Delhi Live Match Information
Date: 19/07/2016
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
