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Haryana Steelers take on the Patna Pirates at their home venue, the Patliputra Sports Complex on the second match of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018, scheduled for Sunday evening.
The Steelers have their work cut out against a strong Patna Pirates, and have to bring their A-game if they want to stand a chance against the Pirates.
It would be nostalgic for Monu Goyat, the Steelers' captain and an ex-Pirate, to go against his old team. He had a strong raiding partnership with Pardeep Narwal during his time with the Pirates and would plan accordingly with his current team to stop his old buddy.
The Steelers' defense has been a cause of major concern and has been a major contributor to their 6 losses in the tournament so far. Parveen has been the only standout performer in their defense with his strong dashes and has accumulated 11 tackle points including a High-5 in the 5 matches that he has featured in.
The corners have to improve their performance against the Pirates' raiders or otherwise, Pardeep could run away with Super raids and also the match.
Although, the Pirates lost Saturday night's match against U Mumba, but they would take heart from the fact that they gave a tough competition to one of the strongest teams in the competition.
Pardeep Narwal was at his usual best with a stupendous score of 17 raid points. The defense of the Pirates did well in the first 30 minutes of the match, but a lack of composure in the final 10 led to the game slipping right through their hands.
The only area of concern is the lack of a support raider to Pardeep, as Manjeet couldn't manage even a single raid point in Saturday night's match. While Vikas Jaglan did contribute with 4 raid points, it's yet to be seen if he remains consistent in his efforts.
Key Battles to keep an eye on:
#1 Pardeep Narwal (left raider) vs Sunil (right corner)
#2 Monu Goyat (right raider) vs Jaideep (left corner)
Probable playing 7:
Haryana Steelers: Monu Goyat (c), Vikas Kandola, Naveen, Parveen, Mayur Shivtarkar, Kuldeep Singh, and Sunil
Patna Pirates: Pardeep Narwal (c), Manjeet, Vijay, Vikas Jaglan, Vikas Kale, Jawahar, and Jaideep
When and where to watch: 21:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar
