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Puneri Paltan will be desperately looking for a win when they lock horns with the Bengaluru Bulls in the 51st match of Pro Kabaddi 2019.
Although the Pune team looks very good on paper, they haven’t executed their plans that well. And hence they find themselves at the bottom of the table. Nitin Tomar’s return from injury has stabilized this team, but he hasn’t fired and has failed to deliver those big raids for which he is famously known.
The form of Pankaj Mohite and Manjeet is a big plus for this team. Their crucial raids, especially the Do-or-Die ones, have been decent so far.
The biggest worry of this team is their defensive front. Girish Ernak’s dismal season continued as his move to the cover position (from left corner) in the last game did not bring any change to his fortunes. Surjeet Singh has shown some signs of coming back to form and he will be put to a stern test by Bengaluru’s quick raiders.
The Bulls have been very good this season. Their superstar raider Pawan Sehrawat has already crossed the 100-point mark. Having scored 5 super 10s with an average of 12.25 raid points per match, Pawan is well and truly on his way to becoming this season’s best raider.
His partner Rohit Kumar, who is also Bengaluru’s captain, has had an average season. Apart from his only super 10 against Haryana, he hasn’t been at his best. The Bulls have shown good application in their defense. Mahender Singh and Saurabh Nandal have contributed consistently with some well-executed tackles.
Predicted Starting 7s
Puneri Paltan: Pankaj Mohite, Manjeet, Nitin Tomar, Surjeet Singh (C), Hadi Tajik, Sagar Krishna, Girish Ernak
Bengaluru Bulls: Pawan Sehrawat, Rohit Kumar (C), Sumit Singh, Mahender Singh, Saurabh Nandal, Amit Sheoran, Mohit Sehrawat
Match Prediction
Although Pune are at the bottom of the table, they can take some positives from their game against an all-rounder Tamil Thalaivas team. Pune’s defensive front will have to find a way to control Pawan Sehrawat.
Much of Bengaluru’s success will depend on Pawan and hence they have to find someone to provide him good support. Their slightly inexperienced defense could be exploited by the likes of Nitin Tomar.
Bengaluru Bulls look like the better team overall and are the favourites to beat the Puneri Paltan.
Where and when to watch
Date: Wednesday, 21 August 2019
Start time: 7:30 IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai
Live telecast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Hotstar
Live updates: Sportskeeda
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