Bengaluru, Feb 8 (IANS) With both teams are placed just outside the top six, Tamil Thalaivas will battle U.P. Yoddha on Wednesday in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 8 encounter, eyeing victory to stay in contention for the playoff spot.
U.P. will rely on their corner combination of Sumit and Nitesh Kumar to stunt the Tamil attack while Thalaivas will be hoping their own defensive duo of Surjeet Singh and Sagar has a good match. Sagar got a High 5 as Thalaivas beat Yoddha in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.
U.P. have recently stopped giving Pardeep Narwal a role in the starting seven. Shrikant Jadhav has been the support raider to Surender Gill with Yoddha strengthening the defence.
Season 8 of the PKL achieved a milestone of completing 100 matches on February 7, and Mashal Sports are confident that the League will continue to deliver great results, leading to the playoffs and final.
The second game of the night will have bottom-dwellers Telugu Titans take on Gujarat Giants. The Titans have just one win in the entire season and will want to, at least, end the tournament on a positive note. The Giants have also experienced a mixed season with ups and downs. The close nature of PKL Season 8 means even they have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs if they win all their remaining matches.
Two-time finalists Gujarat will have to treat all their remaining matches like a do-or-die situation. They have an experienced coach in Manpreet Singh known for his man-management. He will need to inspire his seasoned defenders Parvesh Bhainswal, Sunil Kumar and Girish Ernak to produce their stellar best against the Titans. Girish Ernak has struggled in the left corner — which saw the team trying him in different positions — and will need to cut down on his advanced tackling.
With 26 points from 17 matches, the injury-marred Telugu Titans are all but out of the reckoning for a playoff spot. They will be playing the remaining matches for pride.
This could; however; mean bad news for Gujarat Giants. A team playing with no fear can be a difficult proposition, especially if Rajnish, Ankit Beniwal and Adarsh can unleash their immense potential.
The Titans’ biggest challenge has been the final five minutes of the match. They tend to lose focus and panic which has often paved the way to narrows losses.
They will need to watch out for Giants’ Pardeep Kumar who has the muscles to bulldoze his way past the defenders. Coach Manpreet also might give young Rakesh S a starting spot. His pace and agility bring in a different set of qualities – something that can be used to not let the Titans’ defence settle.
–IANS
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