PKL 9 Day 18 Live Updates: Patna Pirates vs UP Yoddhas

07:30: Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live update of Day 18 of PKL season 9.

Tamil Thalaivas vs Jaipur Pink Panthers

Tamil Thalaivas will next play Jaipur Pink Panthers in PKL 9. Both teams will be playing the opening match in the Pune Leg of Pro Kabaddi League PKL season 9. Tamil Thalaivas has started the season on a poor note winning only a single match out of the six matches. The southern team lost the last encounter against UP Yoddhas of the Bengaluru leg by a 17 points margin (41-24). Ashan Kumar will be taking over the team from the previous coach Udhay Kumar.

Jaipur Pink Panthers on the other hand has won five successive matches after losing the opening match occupying the second spot in the points table with 26 points and is just one point short of the top spot. Like Tamil Thalaivas, Jaipur has ended the Pune leg on a losing note and will look to start fresh in the second leg.

Head to Head

Jaipur Pink Panthers and Tamil Thalaivas have faced each other six times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Jaipur Pink Panthers have won three whereas Tamil Thalaivas have come out victorious on only one occasion with two matches ending in a tie.

Key to Success

The raiding department is putting up a promising show but has lacked aggressiveness whereas, on the other hand, the defence section has shown inconsistency with only Sagar scoring tackle points on a constant basis. Mohit and Abhishek started in the majority of the matches but have put in many unsuccessful tackles. Sagar and Sahil Gulia the corner duo need to control the other defenders to perform better.

The secondary raiders have been a cause of concern for the Jaipur Pink Panthers with Arjun Deshwal doing the bulk of the scoring. Both Rahul Chaudhari and Ajith Kumar need to step up and help Arjun Deshwal revive. Two out of the top five defenders are from Jaipur Pink Panthers showing good signs in defence.

Haryana Steelers vs Puneri Paltan

Haryana Steelers after a good start to the season lost four successive encounters and then finally bounced back to win the last match of the Bengaluru leg against Telugu Titans. Meetu has been performing well when Manjeet Dahiya falters and vice versa which has helped the raiding department. After the end of the first leg, Haryana Steelers are just outside the playoffs spot and require just one win to get back to the top six. Haryana Steelers will play Puneri Paltan in the next PKL 9 game.

Puneri Paltan on the other hand has won the last four encounters after losing the initial few matches. The return of Nabibaksh and Fazel Athrachali has helped the team both in terms of experience and defence section. After the end of the first leg, Puneri Paltan holds the fourth spot with 24 points.

Head to Head

Haryana Steelers and Puneri Paltan have faced each other ten times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Haryana Steelers have won four matches whereas Puneri Paltan has come out victorious on other six occasions.

Key to Success

The defence of Puneri Paltan is very strong with captain Fazel Athrachali taking the onus with the help of Sombir. Aslam Inamdar has been the most consistent performer in the seven matches with five super 10s. Mohit Goyat will play a key role both as a secondary raider and defender as well. The team overall relies on both the attack and defence.

Haryana Steelers raiders primarily consisting of Meetu and Manjeet Dahiya need to be aware of Fazel Athrachali and Sombir and if the raiding duo gets successful in the attempt then Puneri will find it hard to get back to the game. So the battle between Meetu and Fazel will be the key.

Patna Pirates vs UP Yoddhas

On Friday, the Patna Pirates will face their neighbours, the UP Yoddhas, in match 44 of the Pro Kabaddi League PKL season 9.

The Pirates won their first game of the season, defeating table toppers Dabang Delhi, and were on track to win again against the Bengaluru Bulls, but the Bulls made an incredible comeback to tie the game at 31-31. The Pirates currently occupy the 10th position on the points table.

The Yoddhas, on the other hand, are ninth in the points table with three wins from six games. Their defenders are in good form, and Pardeep Narwal has returned to his former self. In their previous game, they defeated Tamil Thalaivas 41-24.

Head to Head

Patna Pirates and U.P. Yoddhas have met in 11 Pro Kabaddi matches. Patna Pirates have won six of the eleven games played, while U.P. Yoddhas have won four.

Key to success

If Patna Pirates play even remotely like they did against the Bulls, they will be able to challenge the Yoddhas. The Patna Pirates defence has begun to find its footing, and both Rohit Gulia and Sachin are succeeding as lead raiders.

UP, on the other hand, has had a slight defence issue in their most recent games, but Pardeep Narwal's return to form has somewhat made up for it. So if Yoddhas defence has a good day on the mat it'd be their game to lose.