PKL 9 Day 22 Live Updates: Haryana Steelers vs Bengaluru Bulls

07:30 PM: Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live update of Day 22 of PKL season 9.

Puneri Paltan vs Dabang Delhi KC

Dabang Delhi KC is having a poor Pune leg losing both matches in the Pune leg. The reigning champions lost the last encounter against Tamil Thalaivas (38-49) and with this, the franchise has lost four successive games. Naveen Kumar got injured in the second half and it looks like it might take a few days for him to recover denting Dabang Delhi’s chances for playoffs. Dabang Delhi will play their next PKL 9 game against Puneri Paltan.

Puneri Paltan started their home leg with a tie against Haryana Steelers in a closely fought contest. Mohit Goyat was the star performer for Puneri Paltan scoring a super 10 with the next best raider being Akash Shinde scoring four points. Aslam Inamdar had an off-game and will like to get back to form in front of the home fans. 

Head to Head

Dabang Delhi KC and Puneri Paltan have faced each other 18 times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Dabang Delhi KC has won eight times and Puneri Paltan have won nine with one match ending in a tie.

Key to Success

The defenders from Dabang Delhi KC were very poor in the last few encounters which is the main reason for the northern team losing four successive encounters. None of the main defenders Krishan Dhull, Ravi Kumar and Sandeep Dhull scored a single tackle point hurting the team badly. Krishan Dhull was at the top of the tackle points table in the first few weeks but has been off-colour since the end of the Bengaluru leg. The Delhi franchise needs to set the defence right else they cannot win games against raiding-heavy teams.

The raiding duo of Mohit Goyat and Aslam Inamdar need to fire simultaneously against Dabang Delhi’s defence which has been highly inconsistent. Aslam Inamdar especially has lost form but can regain back his confidence in this important match. In the absence of Naveen Kumar, Fazel Athrachali should look to keep Ashu Malik.

Haryana Steelers vs Bengaluru Bulls

Haryana Steelers played out a tie in the last encounter against Puneri Paltan which was also their first match in the Pune leg. Both Meetu and Manjeet Dahiya scored eight points each in the raiding showing good promise. Also, Haryana Steelers will now look to get back to winning ways after a drop in form in the middle of the Bengaluru leg. Haryana Steelers will play Bengaluru Bulls in their next PKL 9 game.

Bengaluru Bulls won the last encounter against Jaipur Pink Panthers and with this win have increased their stay at the top of the points table. Bharat is continuing his good form but the star was Vikash Kandola who scored crucial points at the end of the game. Vikash Kandola scored nine points and shall now continue to score points consistently.

Head to Head

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

Key to Success

Haryana's defence needs to play a huge role in stopping the in-form Bharat who is scoring at a rapid pace. Also with Vikash Kandola not in great form, Haryana’s defence should look to keep Bharat quiet for the majority of the match.

Manjeet Dahiya and Meetu have been scoring points simultaneously at a good pace. Haryana is one of the few teams in Pro Kabaddi to have two raiders performing well together. Also, Saurabh Nandal will look to break the duo in the right corner defence.