Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Match 33, Patna Pirates vs Jaipur Pink Panthers| Match Preview and Predicted lineups
Patna Pirates will take on Jaipur Pink Panthers on Friday in the first match of their home leg at the Pro Kabaddi League Season 6. It will be an Inter Zone Challenge Match. Both teams are playing after a gap and would be having enough time to regroup and discuss what mistakes they have made. The Panthers have won 1 of their 3 games while Patna have won 2 out of 4 games.
Jaipur have looked good defensively but have been average in the raiding department and haven't closed games out. Anup Kumar has not been at his best, scoring just 12 points in 3 games. Deepak Niwas Hooda could've done better as a lead raider, scoring 21 points. It was Nitin Rawal who saved the team their blushes against Haryana Steelers and has looked very good in do-or-die raids and has a few tackle points to his name. He has scored 23 points.
Mohit Chillar and Sandeep Kumar Dhull have been good, scoring 8 and 9 points respectively. They have combined well but have been uncertain on a few occasions and had very little support from the experienced Bajirao Hoadgae in the cover position, who has scored just 1 point from 3 games. Deepak and Nitin have chipped in with valuable tackles, including 3 Super Tackles.
Patna Pirates will take on the Panthers, renewed after a week's break and energized by their home fans' presence. They have not been bad in the raiding department but have lacked the support from the defense. Pardeep has 46 points from 4 matches but failed to impress in the last game against the Titans when Abozar Mighani had the better of him.
He should be wary of the very dangerous Mohit Chhillar in the right corner. Manjeet has been brilliant, scoring 23 points from 3 games and has a not out percentage of 91%, which is simply astounding. Deepak Narwal will want to perform better with an average run of 20 points in 4 games.
Jaideep has been the best defender for Patna, scoring 10 points in 4 games and that shows how poorly they have performed. Jawahar Dagar must be given another chance at the right corner where he should combine with Jaideep like he did last season. Kuldeep Singh must be given another chance in the cover position for him to show his ability to finish off tackles. Vijay, the all rounder, has looked good with 24 points and has been good when the Super Tackle was available getting 2 of them.
Jaipur will look to convert points into wins as they look to maintain their composure towards their end which is something you don't normally associate with Anup Kumar's team. Patna, on the other hand, must be alert and mature in their defense and not lunge into tackles.
The home support will surely be a plus and will seek to inspire the experienced players to get back into form and set things in motion for the Pirates. Pardeep and team will certainly want to give their fans the best result and will push for a win against the strong Panthers side.
As Patna Pirates get ready to take on Anup Kumar's Jaipur Pink Panthers in the first home leg, catch the latest PKL standings here.
Predicted Lineups: Patna Pirates - Pardeep Narwal (C), Manjeet, Deepak Narwal, Jaideep, Jawahar Dagar, Vijay, Kuldeep Singh
Jaipur Pink Panthers- Anup Kumar (C), Deepak Niwas Hooda, Nitin Rawal, Mohit Chhillar, Sandeep Dhull, Bajirao Hoadgae, Amit Kumar