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The Pro Kabaddi League has contributed immensely to the growth of this sport in India and with its popularity, recognition and fanfare growing with every passing moment, Pro Kabaddi 2019 will begin with a clash between the hosts Telugu Titans and U Mumba at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad.
This will also be the first match of the 11-match Hyderabad leg and will be followed by another clash between the Bengaluru Bulls and the Patna Pirates.
The format in this tournament has been changed and all the teams have been placed in the same table with each team taking on the other twice, with 22 group stage matches for each team.
Here is a breakdown of the upcoming inaugural encounter of Pro Kabaddi 2019.
Telugu Titans
Key Players: Siddharth Desai, Vishal Bhardwaj and Abozar Mighani
The home side Telugu Titans let go of talisman Rahul Chaudhari, opting not to persist with the 'Raid Machine' and signed the services of last season's raiding sensation Siddharth Desai for ₹1.45 crore at the auction.
Despite not having a really strong second raider, the Titans look to be a formidable unit due to their foolproof defensive unit led by right corner defender and skipper Abozar Mighani, who has formed a great cover combination with Vishal Bhardwaj. Farhan Milaghardhan, C. Arun and Krushna Madane will provide the extra support in the defensive unit.
Young Armaan and Siddharth's brother Suraj Desai, and Kamal Singh provide exciting raiding options and one of them might turn out to be the player they need to support Siddharth and it'll be interesting to see the combination on the mat.
U Mumba
Key Players: Fazel Atrachali, Sandeep Narwal and Rohit Baliyan
Another side which is defensively very strong, U Mumba have assembled a squad which seems to lack good raiding resources who they can depend upon.
Led by Fazel Atrachali, U Mumba have 'The Beast' Sandeep Narwal playing in the right corner. With the dashing Surender Singh, Young Chang Ko and Rajaguru Subramanian fit to play in the cover positions, U Mumba have a rock-solid defense.
However, with only third raiders like Rohit Baliyan, Athul MS set to lead the raiding unit, the offense unit looks thin and could come to bite the team's campaign. Promising raider Abhishek Singh, who was re-signed for PKL season could make an impact.
It will take some time for them to see if their strategy can work and if it does, it will be a master stroke but for U Mumba to win against the Telugu Titans, who have their hero from last-season, Siddharth Desai will be an arduous task.
Predicted Lineups
Telugu Titans: Vishal Bharadwaj(C), Abozar Mighani, Siddharth Desai, Armaan, Farhan Milaghardhan, C. Arun and Suraj Desai.
U Mumba: Fazel Atrachali(C), Sandeep Narwal, Surender Singh, Young Chang Ko, Rohit Baliyan, Athul MS and Abhishek Singh.
Dream 11 Fantasy Tips
Fantasy Suggestion 1: Siddharth Desai, Suraj Desai, Athul MS, Fazel Atrachali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Farhan Milaghardhan and Sandeep Narwal.
Captain: Siddharth Desai| Vice- Captain: Fazel Atrachali
Fantasy Suggestion 2: Siddharth Desai, Suraj Desai, Abhishek Singh, Fazel Atrachali, Armaan, Abozar Mighani and Sandeep Narwal.
Captain: Siddharth Desai| Vice- Captain: Sandeep Narwal
