Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Season 6 Match 2: U Mumba v Puneri Paltan | Preview and Predicted Lineups

In the second game of the opening day of the Pro Kabaddi League season six, U Mumba and Puneri Paltan will battle it out in what will be dubbed as the 'Maharashtrian Derby' at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

Both teams will be led by a left corner defender and it will ultimately boil down to the performance of the skippers on the day, both of whom are coming into the competition on the back of top performances in the Asian Games.

Girish Ernak, captaining the Puneri Paltan will also have the support of Sandeep Narwal from the right corner to guide his troops while the presence of seasoned raider Rajesh Narwal, Monu and More GB adds to the core strength of the Paltan.

U Mumba, on the other hand, will be hoping that a new start can rejuvenate their campaign, which came crashing down as they lost four of their last five matches in the previous season, missing out from the qualification scenario for the playoffs.

Fazel Atrachali will be accompanied by Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Rohit Rana in the defense setup but will hope that his raiders are up to the task against a formidable Puneri Paltan defense unit.

On paper, the Puneri Paltan start off as the stronger side with an all-round balance but on the mat, the battle is sure to go all the way down to the wire. Here are the predicted lineups for the battle ahead.

U Mumba

U Mumba will be playing without Anup Kumar

Predicted team: Fazel Atrachali (Captain), Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Darshan Kadian, Rohit Baliyan, Rohit Rana, Surinder Singh, Abolfazl Maghsodloumahali

Defenders - Fazel Atrachali, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Surinder Singh, Rohit Rana

Two of the best corner defenders in the world, Fazel Atrachali and Dharmaraj Cheralathan are sure starters for U Mumba with their experience and understanding of the game bound to drive the team. Rohit Rana, who has a wealth of experience will be a fearsome presence in the left cover position while Surinder Singh, who made a name for himself last season with U Mumba can also be expected to start.

Raiders - Abolfazl Magsoudloumahali, Darshan Kadian, Rohit Baliyan.

The lanky Iranian raider Abolfazl Magsoudlou's excellent reach and pace on the mat are sure to come to the fore against the might of the Pune defense while Darshan Kadian will hope to continue from where he left off in the last season. Rohit Baliyan finished as the top raider for Dabang Delhi K.C last season and is capable of unsettling the Pune defense unit.

Puneri Paltan

Girish Ernak (R) will be leading Pune

Predicted team: Girish Maruti Ernak (Captain), Nitin Tomar, Sandeep Narwal, Rajesh Mondal, Monu, Deepak Kumar Dahiya, Ravi Kumar.

Defenders - Girish Maruti Ernak, Ravi Kumar.

Girish Ernak will be leading the side from the left corner and if he can put in performances parallel to what he did with the Indian team, then the U Mumba raiders can be expected to have a torrid day. Ravi Kumar, who had a good outing with the Paltan last season can be expected to start as well.

All-rounders: Sandeep Narwal, Monu.

Both Sandeep Narwal and Monu were retained ahead of the sixth season and for no small reason. Sandeep, in particular, is one of the world's best in the business and his precise holds and dashes can come in handy. Monu, who had an impressive season last time can also expect to start right away, his nippy raiding and clever tackling bound to assist skipper Ernak.

Raiders - Nitin Tomar, Rajesh Mondal, Deepak Dahiya.

Nitin Tomar, who led UP last season will be leading the raiding contingent of Pune this season and alongside Rajesh Mondal, who has evolved into a utility raider, the duo's alliance will be of paramount importance. Deepak Dahiya's agility and theatrics on the mat can also bring home points in heaps for the Paltan.