Pro Kabaddi 2022: Ranking the 4 semifinalist teams by their chances of winning the PKL trophy
Only three matches and four teams now remain in the Pro Kabaddi 2022. The semifinals of the tournament will take place tomorrow evening in Mumbai. Inaugural champions Jaipur Pink Panthers will battle Season 6 winners Bengaluru Bulls in the first semifinal.
The second semifinal is between two teams that have never played in the final of the Pro Kabaddi League before. Puneri Paltan will square off against Tamil Thalaivas, with both franchises aiming to make it to the summit clash for the first time ever.
Before the exciting semifinal round of the tournament gets underway, here is a ranking of the four semifinalist teams based on their chances of winning the championship on December 17.
#4 Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas beat a star-studded UP Yoddhas side in the Eliminator 2 match yesterday. Despite the absence of star raider Pawan Sehrawat and main defender Sagar Rathee, the Thalaivas have made it to the semifinals of the Pro Kabaddi 2022.
However, they will be up against a very strong Puneri Paltan team in the semifinal match. Pune have four in-form raiders in Akash Shinde, Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite.
On top of that, the Pune-based franchise also has a dangerous defensive combination featuring the likes of Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibakhsh, Sombir, Abinesh Nadarajan, and Sanket Sawant.
When Puneri Paltan and Tamil Thalaivas battled in the league stage, they evenly split their two meetings with identical scorelines of 35-34. Fans should expect another cracker of a contest between the two teams, but Pune have a slight upper hand as compared to the Thalaivas.
#3 Bengaluru Bulls
Bengaluru Bulls stormed into the semifinals of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 with a massive win against defending champions Dabang Delhi KC. They will be up against tabletoppers Jaipur Pink Panthers in the semifinals.
While the Bulls have a ton of momentum on their side, they need to remember that they will not be facing the sixth-placed team again. The Mahender Singh-led outfit will, instead, lock horns with the best team of this year's PKL in the semifinal.
Jaipur have a solid raid attack led by Arjun Deshwal and an excellent defense featuring Sunil Kumar and Ankush Rathee. When the two teams met during the second half of the league stage, Jaipur squashed the Bulls 45-25. It will be thus be extremely difficult for the Bulls to defeat the Pink Panthers.
#2 Jaipur Pink Panthers
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Jaipur Pink Panthers have the best raider and the best defender of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 in their squad. However, when they played against Puneri Paltan in the second half of the league stage, Pune's all-round brilliance exposed the weaknesses in the Jaipur team.
The Pink Panthers have dominated almost every team in the league stage but lost both the games against Puneri Paltan. If Jaipur and Pune make it to the final, the latter will start as the favorites.
#1 Puneri Paltan are the favorites to win Pro Kabaddi 2022
सपनो की नगरी में अपने सपने पूरे करने का होंसला रखते है हम - Naam hai Puneri Paltan!
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The Pro Kabaddi 2022 seems to be the season of Puneri Paltan. The Pune-based franchise has been a part of the league since the inaugural season, but has never made it to the final.
This year, Pune seem to have all the bases covered. They also have the most successful PKL captain in Fazel Atrachali at the helm. It should not be a surprise if Pune win the knockout matches and lift their maiden Pro Kabaddi League trophy.