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After clinching a tie in the last match against U Mumba, the Puneri Paltan would be raring to win their second match against the Haryana Steelers and take away all 5 points from the encounter to move to the top of the table in Zone A.
The positives' from last evening's match - the fighting spirit, the calm and composure of the captain Girish Ernak and the display of sheer attacking mindset by Nitin Tomar, would give them an edge over their opponents, the Haryana Steelers, who would be featuring in their first match of the tournament.
The Steelers', on the other hand, would look to start this year's campaign on a winning note against a strong Puneri Paltan and carry this momentum forward into their home leg starting from the 11th of October in Sonepat, Haryana.
While all eyes would be on Monu Goyat, the most expensive player at this season's auction sold at a record-breaking price of 1.51 crore, it would be interesting to see how the experienced Wazir Singh and last season's raiding star, Vikash Khandola figure into the scheme of things.
The defence of the Steelers' may seem weak on paper after the loss of Mohit Chillar to the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the auction, but the retaining of the young right corner Vikash and his partnership with the captain, Surender Nada at the left corner could prove lethal for the opponents' raiders. The acquisition of ex-Dabang Delhi man, Sachin Shingade further bolsters the defensive strength of the Steelers'.
Probable playing 7:
Puneri Paltan: Girish Ernak (c), Nitin Tomar, Monu, Sandeep Narwal, Rajesh Mondal, Ravi Kumar, and Sandeep
Haryana Steelers: Surender Nada (c), Monu Goyat, Vikash Khandola, Wazir Singh, Sachin Shingade, Vikash, and Kuldeep Singh/Mayur Shivtarkar
When and where to watch: 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar
