'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In what can be billed as the 'Maharashtrian Derby' in the opening day of the sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League, the Puneri Paltan and U Mumba will be itching to start off their respective campaigns on the right foot at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
The clash, which is sure to give rise to some intense action, will feature two of the biggest names in kabaddi, who will also captain their respective sides. Girish Maruti Ernak, fresh from his exploits from the Asian Games, will be skippering a strong Pune side, highlighted by its core strength in the form of Sandeep Narwal, Rajesh Mondal, Monu, and More GB.
U Mumba, on the other hand, have opted to start afresh and raised a few eyebrows as they opted to let go of their captain from five seasons Anup Kumar, but in Fazel Atrachali , they have a leader who is more than capable of leading the side to glory.
Fazel will have the experienced heads of Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Rohit Rana defending alongside him but the absence of consistent raiders in the U Mumba setup could be a slight thorn in their campaign. The onus will be on Darshan Kadian and Rohit Baliyan to lead the charge against a formidable defense setup amidst the Pune ranks.
Team form and match prediction
Team form
Puneri Paltan: L W L W L (From last season)
U Mumba: L L L L W (From last season)
U Mumba had a poor final leg in the last season, winning just one out of five games as they shut the door on their qualification hopes to finish fourth from Zone 'A'. The Paltan though had a good showing, winning 15 out of their 22 games to finish second from their zone but agonizingly missed out on a spot in the finals to the Patna Pirates.
Match Prediction
The Puneri Paltan look extremely strong on the defensive front while on the raiding front, the likes of Rajesh Mondal, Deepak Dahiya have the experience to lead the way. For U Mumba, their defense looks solid but the lack of raiders who can score continually could hurt their charge in the opening fixture.
Puneri Paltan to beat U Mumba.
Telecast details
Venue: Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium, Chennai.
Start time: 9 PM IST
Telecast: Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports Hindi 1
Live streaming: Hotstar
