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Telugu Titans and Puneri Paltan have chosen similar routes this season and now find each other at the same destination - the bottom half of the Pro Kabaddi League table.
Both have managed to win only three games out of 10 and would be keen to break the shackles with the much valuable five points on offer.
Telugu Titans’ attack is heavily dependent on the Desai brothers, Siddharth and Suraj. The former received a great boost when he scored a mammoth 18 points against Haryana’s tough defense.
While Suraj Desai hasn’t achieved the levels that he was expected to, especially after his amazing debut game (18 points), he will still be vital for the Hyderabad based franchise.
Their defence has finally been awakened and their corners have now started to make a mark. Vishal Bharadwaj, the youngster from Himachal, picked up eight crucial points in the previous match. Mind you, he is not a raider! His partners Abozar Mighani and C Arun have also managed to do well in the last few games.
All-rounder Farhad Milaghardan has now found his feet and will try to contribute as much as he can.
Telugu Titans Form Guide: L L L L D L W D W W
Puneri Paltan have scored just a single super raid in the 10 matches played so far, how’s that for a stat? Well, that does not mean they do not have big raiders. Nitin Tomar, their strike raider, has shown his capability in the previous seasons, but he hasn’t quite taken off this time.
But Pune must not lose confidence as they have some very impressive young raiders with decent game sense.
Manjeet scored more than half of his team’s total (16 out of 30) in the last match. Also, Pankaj Mohite’s swift movement has fetched him crucial points in Do or Die raids.
Balasaheb Jadhav, the new face in their defense, has done well lately. With his accurate tackles, he has given his team some valuable points in the absence of Girish Ernak’s magic.
Amit Kumar’s all-round show along with Surjeet’s defensive abilities give this team a good depth and they surely have a chance to make a timely comeback this season.
Puneri Paltan Form Guide: L L L W W L L D W L
Predicted Starting 7s
Telugu Titans: Siddharth Desai, Suraj Desai, Farhad Milaghardan, C Arun, Amit Kumar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Abozar Mighani
Puneri Paltan: Pankaj Mohite, Manjeet, Nitin Tomar, Surjeet Singh(C), Hadi Tajik, Sagar Krishna, Girish Ernak
Match Prediction
Telugu Titans have shown signs of coming back to form with back to back wins against stronger teams. They will have to maintain consistency and much of that will depend on Siddharth Desai.
Puneri Paltan has great potential but the bigger names haven’t delivered for them. Girish and Surjeet must step up and show their worth.
Telugu Titans could be expected to prevail over Puneri Paltan.
Where and when to watch
Date: Friday, 30th August 2019
Start time: 7:30 pm IST
Venue: Thyagaraj Sports Complex, Delhi
Live telecast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Hotstar
Live updates: Sportskeeda
