Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Match 78: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Puneri Paltan | Match Preview and Predicted Lineups
The Jaipur Pink Panthers take on the Puneri Paltan in a Zone A encounter at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune today, Friday at 9 pm IST.
Jaipur Pink Panthers were barely hanging in there with just 3 wins from 10 encounters, and then the loss against the Bengaluru Bulls has made the situation dire and in need of immediate course correction.
While Deepak and Ajinkya Pawar had formed a good raiding partnership in the last encounter, it is the form, or a lack thereof, of Anup Kumar that raises concerns. It's high time that Anup takes a decision for himself, as his team, the coaches and even the owners respect him too much to bench him.
Puneri Paltan is also coming off a loss against the Bengal Warriors, 22-26, and their campaign has also has been on its way to hit rock bottom in the absence of Nitin Tomar. In their last 7 matches, they have had just a solitary win, and the various permutations and combinations with the starting lineup have till now been unsuccessful in producing a winning side.
The other two experienced campaigners in the side, the captain Girish Ernak and Sandeep Narwal have also been inconsistent with an average tackle point of 2.77 and 2.27 respectively.
The last time the two teams, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan, faced each other was in Match 24 of the ongoing season, where Pune came out on top in a 4-point victory, 29-25.
Catch the latest updates of the Pro Kabaddi Points Table here at Sportskeeda...
Key Battles to keep an eye on
#1 Monu (right raider) vs Sandeep Dhull (left corner)
#2 Deepak Niwas Hooda (left raider) vs Sandeep Narwal (right corner)
Probable playing 7
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Anup Kumar (c), Deepak Niwas Hooda, Ajinkya Pawar, Sunil Siddhgavali, Amit Kumar/Nitin Rawal, Sandeep Dhull, and Mohit Chhillar
Puneri Paltan: Girish Ernak (c), GB More, Monu, Deepak Kumar Dahiya, Sandeep Narwal, Akshay Jadhav, and Ravi Kumar
When and where to watch: 21:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on digital streaming platform Hotstar.