Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Match 35, Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Bengal Warriors| Match Preview and Predicted Lineups
The Jaipur Pink Panthers will take on Bengal Warriors on Saturday in an Inter Zone Challenge match of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018. Jaipur have 1 win from 4 games and they lost their last match against the Patna Pirates. Bengal Warriors are playing after a 5-day break following a 39-30 loss to Dabang Delhi KC.
Bengal Warriors have looked good when they were raiding and Jang Kun Lee's return to form will be a serious boost to the team. Maninder Singh was surprisingly quiet, scoring just 6 points and Mahesh Goud shared the same story, scoring 5 points. Maninder and Jang Kun Lee, if combined, will be a dangerous combination and they will look to do exactly that against the Panthers.
Bengal Warriors, led by probably the best right cover in the world, PO Surjeet Singh, are a good defensive unit and have not been the worst in that department. Surjeet has been their standout performer which doesn't come as a surprise. He has 13 points from 4 games. The other cover, Ziaur Rahman from Bangladesh, has been poor and the team should start finding a replacement for him and look for probably Vijin Thangadurai or Adarsh T.
Shrikant Tewatia and Ran Singh, the 2 all-rounders, were given the corner defending roles and they haven't disappointed so far. Shrikant Tewatia has played the right corner and scored 11 points from 4 games but was dull in their previous games. Ran Singh in the left corner has shared a similar story, scoring 12 points from 4 games.
Jaipur Pink Panthers had assembled a great squad but the results didn't seem to be coming. Captain Anup Kumar had a decent outing vs the Pirates, scoring 8 points. Deepak Niwas Hooda, who has been their best raider so far, scored 8 points. Nitin Rawal didn't feature in the match owing to an injury. Selvamani K will look to prove himself in this encounter.
The Panthers have looked decent in defending and the corners Mohit and Sandeep have had good seasons so far. The cover combination was their weak link and Bajirao Hoadgae and Young Chang Ko failed to make an impact. The Panthers will expect more consistency from their defense and will hope their cover defenders will settle down. Sunil seems to be a better long-term option for the Panthers and scored 3 points vs the Pirates.
Both teams will look to get a win in order to top their respective tables of Zone A and Zone B in this crucial encounter. Jaipur will want more intent form their raiders, especially star raider Deepak Niwas Hooda, and a bit more maturity from their defense. Bengal Warriors will look to finish off games better and will want their raiders to combine well together.
Predicted Lineups: Jaipur Pink Panthers - Anup Kumar (C), Deepak Niwas Hooda, Selvamani K, Mohit Chillar, Sunil Siddhgavali, Ajinkya Pawar
Bengal Warriors - PO Surjeet Singh (C), Maninder Singh, Jang Kun Lee, Mahesh Goud, Shrikanth Tewatia, Ran Singh, Vijin Thangadurai