It’s been a week since the start of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 and we’ve seen some mouth-watering contests already at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru. Friday’s action gives us another treat of triple panga and in the first game of the night, Tamil Thalaivas will be up against U Mumba, whereas Haryana Steelers will take on Jaipur Pink Panthers in the second. In the last game of the night, Gujarat Giants will meet Puneri Paltan.
Here are our previews for Day 7.
Match 16: Tamil Thalaivas vs U Mumba
Tamil Thalaivas have had an underwhelming start to the campaign and are yet to win this season. The Thalaivas have lost one game while the other one finished in a tie. Narender has been one of the bright sparks for Tamil Thalaivas in attack with 13 raid points, while Himanshu, who is primarily a defender, has chipped in with seven raid points so far. The Thalaivas will also hope that Ajinkya Pawar, who has managed just three raid points in the campaign so far, can find form soon. In defence, Sahil Gulia and Sagar have been a reliable duo for Tamil Thalaivas as the two defenders have collectively scored 12 tackle points so far. M. Abishek has also contributed in defence for the Thalaivas with four tackle points and will have a role to play against U Mumba.
U Mumba, on the other hand, have a win and a loss to their name after their first two games of the season. They will head into this game after a seven-point win against U.P. Yoddhas in their last outing. The Season 2 champions are yet to produce their best in attack and will be eager to do so soon. Their best raider in the campaign so far has been Ashish, who has scored 10 raid points after two games. Their lead raider Guman Singh is yet to fire on all cylinders as he has scored nine points so far. Both Ashish and Guman Singh will be eager to put on better performances in the upcoming contest and they will be supported by Jai Bhagwan, who has managed eight raid points in Season 9. As far as tackles go, Surinder Singh, Rinku and Kiran Magar have been U Mumba’s pillars in defence and have scored six tackle points each.
Tamil Thalaivas vs U Mumba head-to-head
Tamil Thalaivas and U Mumba have tussled with each other on seven occasions. U Mumba have won five of these matches, while Tamil Thalaivas have won once. One of these matches also finished in a tie.
Match 17: Haryana Steelers vs Jaipur Pink Panthers
One of just two remaining unbeaten teams in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9, Haryana Steelers have emerged victorious in both their games so far. The Steelers have won both their matches in the ongoing campaign and will back themselves to get the better of the Panthers on Friday. Their lead raider Manjeet, who has already accumulated 24 raid points in two games, has been in exquisite form. However, he will be hoping for more help in attack from the likes of raider Meetu and all-rounder Nitin Rawal, both of whom have five raid points each so far. On the defensive front, Jaideep Dahiya has been their best defender with seven tackle points, which includes a High 5. He has been well supported by the likes of Mohit and Nitin Rawal with both of them accounting for five tackle points each.
Jaipur Pink Panthers, meanwhile, picked up their first win of the season in their last game against Patna Pirates and will be keen to continue with the winning momentum. Arjun Deshwal has started this season in a rich vein of form and has looked threatening whenever raiding for the Season 1 champions. Second on the list for most raid points (267) last season, Deshwal has begun the ongoing campaign with 25 raid points in two games. While there’s no doubt that he’s capable of single handedly taking a game away from the opposition, Deshwal could do with more support in attack with V Ajith Kumar and Bhavani Rajput accounting for just nine and five raid points respectively. Their defence can also raise their game in the next few games. Ankush is their best defender at the moment with seven tackle points, while Sunil Kumar and Abhishek KS have notched up five and four tackle points respectively.
Haryana Steelers vs Jaipur Pink Panthers head-to-head
Haryana Steelers and Jaipur Pink Panthers have played each other in 10 matches. Haryana Steelers have won three times and Jaipur Pink Panthers have won five matches, while two games ended in ties.
Match 18: Gujarat Giants vs Puneri Paltan
After a tie and a loss in their first two matches of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9, Gujarat Giants need to get their first win of the campaign sooner rather than later. However, getting a win seems to be easier said than done for them considering both their attack and defence can do much better than their first two matches. Rakesh with 27 raid points has been the pick of their raiders but he needs more support in attack from the likes of Parteek Dhaiya, Chandran Ranjit and Mahendra Rajput with the aforementioned trio contributing just seven raid points each thus far. Defensively, the Giants need to do much better considering Sourav Gulia is their top defender with four tackle points. All-rounders Arkam Shaikh and Parteek Dhaiya are their next best defenders with three and two tackle points respectively.
Like the Giants, the results have been no different for Puneri Paltan as they are also searching for their first win having lost one game and tied the other. Raider Aslam Inamdar has looked good in attack and has scored 19 raid points so far. Mohit Goyat has complemented Inamdar well by scoring 17 raid points and Akash Shinde has also chipped in with eight raid points. In defence, Badal Singh and Gaurav Khatri have looked solid with five and four tackle points respectively while left cover Sanket Sawant has also stood up and been counted with his three tackle points. Puneri Paltan will need both their attack and defence to perform in unison to get their first win of the season on Friday.
Gujarat Giants vs Puneri Paltan head-to-head
Gujarat Giants and Puneri Paltan have squared off in 10 encounters. Gujarat Giants have won six matches while Puneri Paltan have won three games. One of these matches finished in a tie.
vivo PKL Schedule for October 14, Friday 7:30 PM onwards
Match 16: Tamil Thalaivas vs U Mumba
Match 17: Haryana Steelers vs Jaipur Pink Panthers
Match 18: Gujarat Giants vs Puneri Paltan
Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 LIVE?
Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
