Star Sports Pro Kabaddi: What to expect from the Bengaluru leg

The Bengaluru Bulls players with coach Randhir Singh (4th from L) and team owner Uday Sinh Wala (red)

The penultimate leg of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi will see all the teams make Bengaluru their base for the next 4 days. The home team – Bengaluru Bulls, lie in 4th spot currently, having played 2 matches less than 3rd-place Jaipur Pink Panthers, who like the Bulls have amassed 31 points.

After a spectacular Delhi leg, which saw Telugu Titans move up to the top spot once again in the tournament and Puneri Paltan drop down to the bottom spot, the people from Bengaluru will be treated to the captivating innovation that is Pro Kabaddi.

The home team will take on Anup Kumar’s U Mumba in the opening match. The Bulls were handed a crushing 36-23 loss by the Mumbaikars in the opening leg – Mumbai, when Shabeer Bapu starred. Having almost secured a semi-final spot, U Mumba can afford to rest some of their star players, while the Bulls will look to re-claim that 3rd spot from Jaipur with a win in front of their home fans.

Bottom of the table Puneri Paltan will take on lowly Bengal Warriors in the opening match on the second day of the Bengaluru leg. The Wazir Singh-led side registered their only win of the second season against the Warriors and will be looking to complete the double as they try to beat the odds to make the semis. Jang Kun Lee’s Bengal team have had a disappointing campaign so far and need to win all their remaining matches by big margins and hope that other results go in their favour to have a chance of making the final 4.

In a match which will give a team a clear gap in 3rd place, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Bengaluru Bulls will take to the mat after the Pune-Bengal match. With Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar, Joginder Narwal, Dharmaraj Cheralathan and the likes, the Bulls have plenty of firepower to win the match, but a resurgent Panthers, buoyed by the form of Sonu Narwal, will look to repeat their performance from earlier this season, when they thrashed the Bulls by 13 points.

Can Kashi perform away from home?

Last season’s 3rd place finishers, Patna Pirates and Bengal Warriors will kickstart proceedings on the third day of the leg. Sandeep Narwal’s men have won just 1 of their last 4 matches and will look to end Warriors’ campaign early by providing a boost to their own and claim a spot in the semis.

The home crowd will want a repeat of the performance earlier this season when Bengaluru Bulls face Dabang Delhi. The Bulls handed the Dabangs a 33-17 drubbing earlier, but with Kashiling Adake in top form, the Dabangs would be a tough match for the home team. The young raider conjured up the best individual performance in Pro Kabaddi history by scoring 24 points in a 45-45 draw against Telugu Titans.

On India’s 67th Independence day, Patna Pirates and U Mumba will begin the proceedings at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. U Mumba will probably have sealed their spot in the semis before this match and this may allow the Pirates to make the most of Mumbai’s lackadaisical approach. In the final match in Bengaluru, the current league leaders, Telugu Titans, will face the home team, who had early in the season beat the Titans 35-21. However, the Titans come into this match after a morale-boosting draw against Dabang Delhi and will be eager to carry that momentum and keep the top spot.

The Bengaluru leg shows plenty of promise and with the league table getting clearer day by day, this leg is what can ultimately prove crucial in every teams’ chances to book a semi-final spot.

Book your tickets for the Bengaluru leg here.