PKL 11: Key battles to watch out for in match 73, Puneri Paltan vs Bengal Warriorz

Both teams are coming into the match after a winless run in the last three matches in PKL 11.

The Indian fans will have a treat on Sunday night in Pro Kabaddi 2024 (PKL 11) as the Puneri Paltan will take on Bengal Warriorz in match 73 at Noida Indoor Stadium. Both teams won’t be happy with the way they have performed in the season.

The defending champions suffered a body blow as their skipper Aslam Inamdar was injured and ruled out of the season. Since then, they have managed to win only one of the next five games in PKL 11. They badly wanted to register a win and move forward in the points table.

For Bengal Warriorz, the season seems to go from bad to worse. The form of Maninder Singh has been a huge worrying factor. They are struggling at 10th position in the standings as they are on a four-match losing streak. The season seven champions would want to turn it around against the defending champions.

There are a few key battles that could decide the result of the game, let’s take a look at them.

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Abinesh Nadarajan vs Nitin Dhankar

After an impressive debut season with Bengal Warriorz last year, Nitin Dhankar continues to play a key role for the men in blue in PKL 11. Especially in the absence of the impact of Maninder Singh, Nitin’s form is keeping the fire alive in Bengal’s chances. His next challenge will be up against Puneri Paltan’s Abinesh Nadarajan.

Both have a history with Abinesh dominating him last season. The raider came back strongly this season in the game earlier as he had a 100% strike rate against the cover defender. Sunday presents the third chapter between these two and it will be fascinating to see who gets the upper hand in the reverse fixture in PKL 11.

Pankaj Mohite vs Fazel Atrachali

It is the battle of skippers with Pankaj Mohite, the stand-in skipper for the defending champions against the experienced Fazel Atrachali in PKL 11. Much like last year, Puneri Paltan’s raiding attack has been carried out by three players simultaneously to ensure they are fresh and doesn’t lose speed at the fag end of the game.

Pankaj with 50 points is leading the pack and has a bigger role in the absence of Aslam Inamdar in PKL 11. Talking about bigger roles, Fazel will not only be inspiring the defensive unit but also the entire team as they desperately need five points from the game. If Fazel can stop Pankaj, then Warriorz could romp home with a win breaking their losing streak.

Nitesh Kumar vs Ajit Kumar

When both these teams squared up against each other earlier this season, it ended in a tie. A certain Nitesh Kumar showed his class as he was the top-scoring defender in the game across both teams in PKL 11. He was swift in his movement and caused the downfall of all three opposition raiders who played the game. Coach Prasanth would be expecting the same from him.

But the right corner defender will have a new challenger in Ajit Kumar, who has found a place in the Puneri Paltan starting seven replacing Aslam Inamdar in PKL 11. Ajit is known for his quick toe touches and escapes and the Tamil Nadu-born raider would like to execute it against the experienced Nitesh Kumar. It will be interesting to see how Nitesh handles this match-up.

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