The Puneri Paltan (PUN) square off against the Jaipur Pink Panthers (JAI) in a rematch of the PKL 9 final in the 11th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League on Monday, November 25, at the Noida Indoor Stadium.
Jaipur edged Pune out to win 30-28 the last time these two sides met, but it's Arjun Deshwal and Co. that find themselves in a spot of bother coming into this match, losing back-to-back games to the Steelers and Dabang Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Paltan returned to winning ways, crushing the Bengal Warriorz 51-34 on Sunday with a complete team performance, and they'll be out for revenge as they look to move up the points table.
Now, let's look at the top three Dream11 surprise picks in this star-studded clash.
#3 Neeraj Narwal (RAI) (JAI)
After getting inexplicably benched in Jaipur's previous outing against the Steelers, Neeraj Narwal is right back into their starting 7 for this one, albeit with a reclassification as a raider on Dream11.
He has done a decent job in PKL 11, scoring 32 raid points and seven tackle points in eight appearances, and has been a valuable contributor for the Pink Panthers. The Paltan defense should direct all their focus on Arjun Deshwal, and the onus will be on Neeraj to revive his captain and aid him in the raiding department.
With a very high points ceiling courtesy his penchant for picking up tackle points, Neeraj could be a valuable Dream11 surprise pick.
#2 Lucky Sharma (DEF) (JAI)
Jaipur right corner Lucky Sharma could be a high-scoring Dream11 differential in this fixture. Lucky has stepped in well into Sahul Kumar's shoes this season and has been one of their better defenders amid this poor run of form, and his aggregate of 22 tackle points in nine matches is a great number.
Up against the likes of Akash Shinde and V Ajith Kumar, Lucky Sharma should have plenty of opportunities to initiate tackles and pick up Dream11 points for the same in this fixture. Against a Pune raiding unit, which is statistically one of the worst in the league, he could be a high-value Dream11 surprise pick for his backers.
#1 Akash Shinde (RAI) (PUN)
A name that's no stranger to featuring on the Dream11 surprise picks' list, the ever-under-rated Akash Shinde could be a valuable option for Dream11 players willing to punt on him in this fixture. He has scored 49 raid points in only 10 appearances for the team, more than half of them as a substitute, and since Aslam Inamdar's injury, he has been the team's most effective and dangerous raider.
Against a Jaipur defense that has struggled in the last few matches, he'll eye a Super 10 and could well get one, and considering his very high points ceiling, Akash could be a great Dream11 differential.