PKL 9 Day 43 Live Updates: Patna Pirates vs UP Yoddhas

U Mumba vs Bengal Warriors

U Mumba in the absence of captain Surinder Singh has not looked good in defence losing the last encounter to Tamil Thalaivas by a huge margin of 14 points (20-34). Mumba used to play with five defenders and two raiders but it doesn’t seem to work now with the inefficiency shown by their defenders. 

Bengal Warriors won the last encounter against Bengaluru Bulls (41-38) after trailing in the last five minutes. Shrikanth Jadhav put pressure on the opposition defenders scoring points on every raid in the fag end with Maninder Singh scoring the 11th super 10 of season 9. Bengal Warriors need to win almost all the remaining matches to qualify for the playoffs.

Head to Head

U Mumba and Bengal Warriors have faced 17 other times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which Bengal Warriors have won four matches whereas U Mumba has come out victorious on 12 occasions with one match ending in a tie.

Player to watch

Guman Singh the primary raider could only score four points against Tamil Thalaivas with U Mumba playing majorly for the do-or-die situation. This did not help Guman’s cause slowing down the entire match. Guman needs to find ways in scoring quick points against Bengal Warriors with the corner positions not as stable as the previous opposition. 

Girish Maruthi Ernak is back to business scoring his first high 5 after a dismal show in the Pune leg. With the return of Girish, the defence has the combination of both youth and experience which shall be an added advantage. Ernak will be up against Guman Singh who is the only reliable raider for U Mumba.

Puneri Paltan vs Telugu Titans

Puneri Paltan looks set to occupy the top 2 spots in the points table after winning their last encounter against Jaipur Pink Panthers (39-32). None of their raiders nor defenders scored super 10 or high 5 but the team put in a collective effort to beat Jaipur comprehensively. Fazel Atrachali did not even open his account shows how balanced the team is going into the playoffs.

Telugu Titans lost the last encounter against Patna Pirates by just one point (35-36) putting in great effort in front of their home fans. The reliable raider Siddharth Desai scored his sixth super 10 of the season with Vishal Bharadwaj scoring a high 5.

Head to Head

Puneri Paltan and Telugu Titans have faced each other 17 times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Puneri Paltan has won ten matches whereas Telugu Titans have come out victorious on six occasions with one match ending in a tie.

Player to watch

Vishal Bharadwaj from Telugu Titans will have to put in the same effort he put in against Patna Pirates. Puneri Paltan has got great balance in the raiding unit and stopping a single raider will not be the only task for Vishal. With the experience, the corner defender possesses it will be up to him in the defence to put up a good show against the table toppers. 

Fazel Atrachali will be up against Siddharth Desai who is the only reliable raider for the home team this season. If Fazel stops Siddharth from scoring half the battle will be finished as all the other raiders lack confidence.

Patna Pirates vs UP Yoddhas

The Patna Pirates have been extremely unpredictable. They only woke up after losing the first five games of the PKL season 9. The Pirates staged a spectacular comeback in the middle of the season to lift their fans’ spirits. However, teams such as the Telegu Titans have recently made them work hard.

UP on the other hand find themselves in a comparatively good position in the table and they would hope to win the game and make their case stronger to seal the spot for the playoffs.

Head to Head

The Pirates and U.P. Yoddhas have met in 12 Pro Kabaddi matches. Patna Pirates have won 7 of the 12 games played, while U.P. Yoddhas have won four.

Players to watch

For UP Yoddhas’ Pardeep Narwal is back in form and has just surpassed 1500 raid points landmark so all eyes will be on him as to how he performs against his previous franchise. He couldn’t do help UP win match against the Pirates earlier this season, so he would be itching to get back to the mat against Patna.

As for the Pirates watch out for Monu as he has troubled Pradeep in the past in defence. With Mohammadreza Shadloui back to his best he and Monu can really keep Pradeep silent during the game.