Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Match 37: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs UP Yoddha | Match Preview and Predicted Line-ups
In the first match scheduled for Sunday evening, Dabang Delhi takes on their neighbor, the UP Yoddhas at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.
The Delhi-based outfit would be high on confidence after a decisive nine-point win against a strong Bengal Warriors (39-30) and would look to take their performance up a notch against the Yoddhas.
Their attack has become lethal with both their primary raiders - Naveen and Chandran Ranjit in top form.
It was Naveen (11 raid points) who had taken the Warriors defense by surprise with his agile and skillful raids and would be beaming with confidence ahead of the encounter against the Yoddhas.
Before the start of the tournament, it was said that the Dabangs would be as strong as their defense.
And seeing last match's four-tackle-point performance by both Joginder Narwal and Ravinder Pahal, the Dabangs seem up for any challenge that comes their way.
The Yoddhas, on the other hand, are lethally strong in attack but equally poor in defense.
Their raiding trio of Rishank Devadiga, Shrikant Jadhav and Prashant Kumar Rai are one of the strongest raiding units in Pro Kabaddi League 2018.
But it's their defence which has let them down time and again. They have the second worse Average Tackle score at 8.5 tackles per match amongst all the teams in the competition, Tamil Thalaivas are the worst (8.25 tackles/match).
The experienced campaigner, Jeeva Kumar, seems out with injury as he has been missing in action since the Yoddhas opening match against the Tamil Thalaivas. His absence has, literally, left a gaping hole in the Yoddhas defense which they have till now failed to fill.
The corners, Nitesh Kumar and Sagar Krishna, lack consistency but are starting to show an improvement in performance. Their coordination and form would be key for the Yoddhas to strangle Delhi's raiders.
Key Battles to keep an eye on:
#1 Shrikant Jadhav & Prashant Kumar Rai (left raiders) vs Ravinder Pahal (right corner)
#2 Rishank Devadiga (right raider) vs Joginder Narwal (left corner)
Probable playing 7:
Dabang Delhi: Joginder Narwal (c), Naveen, Chandran Ranjit, Pawan Kumar Kadian/Rajesh Narwal, Vishal Mane, Viraj Vishnu, and Ravinder Pahal
UP Yoddha: Rishank Devadiga (c), Shrikant Jadhav, Prashant Kumar Rai, Narender, Amit, Nitesh Kumar, and Sagar Krishna
When and where to watch: 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar