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As the Inter-Zone Challenge Week continues with a change in venue to Patna, the home team, Patna Pirates will be seen in action against the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the Patliputra Sports Complex on Friday, the 26th.
The Pirates have had a mixed season till now with 2 wins and 2 losses and would be raring to begin their home leg with a win.
The Pirates' defense has let them down time and again, and the over-dependence on their captain, Pardeep Narwal to win them matches has led to their failures in the tournament. The lack of form of Deepak Narwal has added undue pressure on the raiding contingent, but in the last match, it was positive for the Pirates as Manjeet and Vijay stepped up and performed.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers have had a rough season so far and they are currently languishing at the bottom of Zone A with just 7 points. In all fairness, Jaipur have played just 3 matches, much fewer than their Zone A compatriots, and hence have got limited opportunities to prove themselves.
The Panthers' defense, in contrast to the Pirates, has worked well so far with the corners Mohit Chhillar and Sandeep Dhull contributing to the bulk of the tackle points. But it's the raiding unit of Jaipur which has lacked a certain edge to dominate the opposition's defense. It has the second-lowest average raid points (15 raid points per match) among all the teams in the competition.
Nitin Rawal's ascendence and Deepak Niwas Hooda's return to form would be the positives that the Panthers would want to bank upon as they look to deliver in their match against the Pirates.
Ahead of the Patna Pirates vs Jaipur Pink Panthers match, here's a look at the standings of all the teams in the Pro Kabaddi Points Table.
Probable playing 7:
Patna Pirates: Pardeep Narwal (c), Manjeet, Deepak Narwal, Vijay, Vikas Kale, Vikas Jaglan, and Jaideep
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Anup Kumar (c), Selvamani K, Nitin Rawal, Deepak Niwas Hooda, Bajirao Hodage, Mohit Chhillar, and Sandeep Dhull
When and where to watch: 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar.
