PKL 8: Naveen Kumar, Pardeep Narwal in action on Day 8

Bengal Warriors will look to bounce back after defeat in the last match against Bengaluru Bulls.

Day 8 of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 8 will see defending champions Bengal Warriors take on Dabang Delhi K.C. in a repeat of the 2019 final. Delhi are the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far with two wins and a tie but in Warriors, they will face a side slowly gaining in momentum.

The second match of the day at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru will see UP Yoddha take on the Gujarat Giants. Pardeep Narwal has struggled to make an impact since joining UP from Patna Pirates and will be up against an experienced Giants defensive unit in what has the makings of an exciting match.

Final repeat

After three matches, Dabang Delhi K.C. and Bengal Warriors have looked the best sides in PKL Season 8, continuing where they left off in 2019. Naveen “Express” Kumar has looked his dynamic best picking up three Super 10s in as many matches for Delhi while captain Maninder Singh is slowly looking his very best for Bengal.

Delhi’s biggest concern going into this PKL Season 8 match will be their reliance on Naveen. Barring Vijay, there has not been a lot of raiding assistance, with Ajay Thakur rarely venturing into the opposition’s side. In the defence, the error-prone combination of Manjeet Chhillar and Jeeva Kumar will be a worry. The Kabaddi stalwarts have looked too eager on the mat this season and cost Delhi dearly.

Both Maninder Singh and Nabibakhsh impressed in the raids for the Warriors despite their loss to Bengaluru Bulls in the previous PKL match. The repeat of the Season 7 final has all the makings of a high-intensity encounter.

Experience factor

Both UP Yoddha and Gujarat Giants have struggled in their PKL Season 8 openers despite recruiting big names at the auctions. Coach Manpreet toughened his defence with the acquisition of Ravinder Pahal and Girish Maruti Ernak while UP Yoddha paid Rs 1.65 crores for raider Pardeep Narwal.

But both the Gujarat defence and the UP attack have lacked the necessary sharpness required in PKL. Pardeep’s lack of confidence will be a big worry for UP who will need either Surender Gill or Shrikanth Jadhav to pick up their game. In fact, it was young Rohit Tomar who impressed for UP in their loss against Jaipur which should spark an interesting team selection.

TUNE IN DETAILS (29/12/2021)

7:30 PM: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Bengal Warriors

8:30 PM: U.P. Yoddha vs Gujarat Giants

All matches can be watched on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar

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