PKL 9 playoffs: Puneri Paltan to meet Tamil Thalaivas in second semi-final

Both teams won once each by identical margins in the league phase this season.

Puneri Paltan play semi-final debutants Tamil Thalaivas in the second semi-final of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 9. The Thalaivas reached the last four stage after defeating the experienced UP Yoddhas via a tie-breaker in the eliminator.

UP Yoddhas had the match in their hands but a mistake from Pardeep Narwal and a strong ankle hold from lead raider Narender Kandola were the difference in the end. Mohit who has been below average for the entire season showed what he is capable of in the tie-breaker scoring two tackle points and a raid point for Tamil Thalaivas. 

The southern side has momentum and confidence going into the semis. They will be up against Puneri Paltan, who had a long rest since their last match in the league stage.

Team News

Puneri Paltan

Raiders: Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat, Pankaj Mohite, Akash Shinde, Shubham Shelke, Aditya Shinde

All-Rounders: Mohammad Nabibakhsh, Balasaheb Jadhav, Govind Gurjar

Defenders: Sanket Sawant, Fazel Atrachali, Abinesh Nadarajan, Sombir, D Mahindra Prasad, Badal Singh, Alankar Patil, Rakesh Ram

Tamil Thalaivas

Raiders: Pawan Sehrawat, Ajinkya Ashok Pawar, Himanshu, Jatin, Himanshu

All-rounders: Thanushan Laxmamohan, Visvanath V, K Abhimanyu

Defenders: Sagar, Sahil, M Abishek, Mohit, Himanshu, Ashish, Md Arif Rabbani, Arpit Saroha, Ankit

Head-to-Head

Puneri Paltan and Tamil Thalaivas have faced each other eight times in the Pro Kabaddi League history. Interestingly, both teams have come out victorious on three occasions, with two matches ending in a tie.

Player to watch

Mohit produced a heroic performance in the playoffs against UP Yoddhas scoring three points in the tie-breaker which proved to be vital in the end. He scored only two tackle points in normal time with four unsuccessful tackles but came back strong when required. With this performance, the Puneri Paltan side needs to be wary of the defender along with Abhishek from the right flank. 

Sombir has had a poor last few outings after a good start to the season. He was scoring points at a decent rate throughout the first half, but since then has lost form and has been very inconsistent. With the experience he needs to pull off a good performance as both Narender Kandola and Ajinkya Pawar of Tamil Thalaivas will look to make use of his inconsistent form and score points.

Key to Success

The defence of Tamil Thalaiavas needs to play according to the situation and leak fewer points. In the last match against UP Yoddhas, Tamil Thalaivas gave away a super raid when only a minute was left which was the reason for a tie else they could have won the match before the tie-breaker as well. 

Puneri Paltan throughout the season have played consistently and are also one of the favourites. There are a few concerns for them in the defence with the likes of Sombir and Saketh not performing at their best. The raiding has been the best among all the 12 teams and can also make up for the defensive errors.

Did You Know?

Puneri Platan are the only team in PKL 9 where three raiders have crossed 100 raid points (Aslam Inamdar, Akash Shinde, and Mohit Goyat).

Broadcast

Time - 08:30 PM

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