After a month of relentless kabaddi matches, we’re finally here - the last day of Pro Kabaddi League Season 4. With two matches remaining, the first match of the night is the 3rd place match at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad. The match brings two heavyweights head-to-head - Telugu Titans vs Puneri Paltans.
Telugu Titans qualified for the semis after finishing 2nd in the group stage, thanks to an impressive tally of 8 wins. They started the tournament slowly but improved with every game since. Titans will be high on confidence, losing only once in their last 9 matches. Unfortunately, the sole defeat came against Jaipur Pink Panthers, in their semis clash, and Titans will be desperate to avenge the defeat.
Puneri Paltans had a mixed campaign throughout Season 4 and just managed to seal a semis spot at 4th place. Tied on 42 points with U Mumba at the end of the group stage, Paltans advanced to the semis, thanks to a higher differential scoring than derby rivals, Mumbai.
The live streaming for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 4 game between the Telugu Titans vs Puneri Paltans will be available on starsports.com, from 20:00 IST. The match will be telecasted live from Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, and will be aired on Star Sports 2 (HD) in English and Star Sports 3 (HD) in Hindi.
Telugu Titans entered their semi-final clash as favorites against Jaipur Pink Panthers, at their home ground. The stadium was fully packed, and the atmosphere was electric, as the two teams went out to the mat. The match was evenly balanced in the first half, but impressive performance for Titans skipper, Rahul Chaudhuri, led them to an 11-10 lead at half time.
Jaipur raised their game in the second half, mainly Rajesh Narwal. Narwal troubled a very strong Titans defense time and again to turn the tide in Jaipur’s favor at 26-14. Chaudhuri, once again rose to the occasion as he tried to stage a comeback, but did not receive sufficient support from rest of the team. Titans fought hard and brave, but Jaipur stood strong to register a thumping 34-24 victory.
Rahul Chaudhuri has been the best player of Pro Kabaddi Season 4, and it’s a real pity for the home fans to not witness the Telugu skipper in the finals. With a massive 128 raid points to his name, Chaudhuri will look to end Season 4 with a victory.
Chaudhuri lacked support from Nilesh Salunke in their last match, which led to their downfall. Salunke will look to put that behind him with a solid performance against the likes of Manjeet Chhillar and Ravinder Pahal.
The Titans defence have been exceptional this season. Many critics were unsure of Telugu’s defensive line-up, mainly due to the lack of experience, but the Titans triumphed- thanks to the trio of Sandeep Narwal, Sandeep Dhull, and Vinod.
The trio has 40, 35 and 30 raid points to their credit, and will look to end Season 4 with a solid performance against the dangerous Deepak Niwas Hooda.
Puneri Paltans faced Patna Pirates in their semi-final clash, in a match where Patna was expected to run away with the game. However, it was far from that as a packed stadium witnessed a close encounter. Paltans were dealt with a huge blow as Ravinder Pahal sat out with an injury, but that didn’t stop Deepak Niwas Hooda, who was once again brilliant this season. The first half was hard-fought, but Patna managed to take a 16-13 lead at half time.
Hooda troubled the opponents time and again to get Pune back into the match. With the scores tied at 17-all, young sensation Pardeep Narwal rose to the occasion to keep the scoreboard ticking for the Pirates. The scoreboard read 32-31 with one minute remaining when Patna inflicted an All Out on the Paltans to seal a thrilling 37-33 victory.
Manjeet Chhillar will have a huge role to play in today’s match, especially if Ravinder Pahal misses the match due to injury. Pune will rely a lot on his leadership and defensive qualities to lead them a 3rd place finish. Chillar vs Chaudhuri might just be the battle that decides the outcome of tonight’s match. Chhillar has 43 tackle points to his name this season.
Deepak Niwas Hooda has been on fire and fought bravely against a very strong Patna defense. Hooda has 110 raid points this season, and will have an exciting battle against Sandeep Narwal in Telugu’s defense.
With the home team on show and world-class players on every position on the mat, the match promises to be a thriller.
