PKL 9 Day 16 Live Updates: Telugu Titans Vs Haryana Steelers

07:30: Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live update of Day 16 of PKL season 9.

Puneri Paltan vs Jaipur Pink Panthers

Jaipur Pink Panthers won their last encounter against Telugu Titans by a comprehensive 24-point margin (51-27) in PKL 9. The team put in a collective effort with both the raiders and defenders performing extremely well. Sahul Kumar was the star with seven tackle points after a poor start to the season. Puneri Paltans won a close match against Bengal Warriors (27-25). Two defenders Fazel Athrachali and Sombir scored high 5s in a low-scoring battle. It is rare to see more than one defender scoring a high 5 but the Puneri Paltan defence did it with perfection. After a poor start to the season, the western side has bounced back strongly.

Head to Head

Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan have faced each other 18 times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Jaipur Pink Panthers have won 10 whereas Puneri Paltan has come out victorious on six occasions with two matches ending in a tie.

Key to Success

Aslam Inamdar after a good start to the season has had below-par performances in the last few games. Aslam is the primary raider and needs to stay consistent along with Mohit Goyat who has been good as a secondary raider. Mohammed Nabibaksh also needs to step up and score a few raid points.

The defence of Jaipur Pink Panthers has been lethal this season and the return of Sahul Kumar to form will bolster the team’s performance even more. Sunil Kumar the captain and the left corner position have also been consistent throughout the season. 

Telugu Titans vs Haryana Steelers

Haryana Steelers lost a close battle against Gujarat Giants in the last match (38-42) with Meetu being the star raider scoring 16 raid points in PKL 9. This is Meetu’s second 15+ raid points score in the Pro Kabaddi season 9. Manjeet Dahiya could only muster five raid points hurting Haryana Steelers.

Telugu Titans look completely off-colour even after having the most experienced team in Pro Kabaddi this season. The southern side lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers (27-52). Adarsh was the only positive for Telugu Titans where the raider went on to score nine raid points. 

Head to Head

Haryana Steelers and Telugu Titans have faced each other in seven matches in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Haryana Steelers have won three whereas Telugu Titans have also come out victorious on three occasions with one game ending in a tie.

Key to Success

Both Meetu and Manjeet Dahiya have not been scoring points consistently. Whenever Meetu scores a super 10 Manjeet underperforms and vice versa. For Haryana to win crucial encounters both the raiders should score points simultaneously and help each other revive rather than scoring separately.

Telugu Titans have the best defensive unit with the likes of Vishal Bharadwaj, Surjeeth Singh, Parvesh Bainswal, and Ravinder Pahal. Vishal at the start of the season looked in good touch but as the season went by started losing pace and form. On a few occasions, the captain was removed from the starting 7 questioning his performances. Manjeet Chillar has a massive task in helping these defenders get back to form.