Bengal Warriors face off with Tamil Thalaivas in the 16th game of PKL 10 on Sunday, December 10, at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru.
Both teams have made terrific starts to the season and will look to extend their positive momentum. The Warriors have been the surprise package so far, beating Bengaluru Bulls 32-30 in their opening game before holding the defending champions to a 28-28 tie in a game they should have won.
Maninder scored a Super 10 against the Bulls. Even when he had a bit of an off-day, Shrikant Jadhav and NYP Nitin Kumar backed him up with some useful points. In both game, the young and energetic defence was filled with confidence and conviction in their tackling, so it will be interesting to see how they fare against a red-hot Ajinkya Pawar.
It was not Narender but Ajinkya who terrorised the Dabang Delhi defence, in the Thalaivas' only game of the season. He scored half of the Thalaivas' points in that game, picking up 18 raid points and three tackle points in the 42-31 win.
Narender was a bit quiet initially but eventually scored eight raid points. The defence was reliable as ever, scoring 10 tackle points.
BEN vs TAM Match Details
Match: BEN vs TAM, Pro Kabaddi 2023, Match 16
Date and Time: December 10, 2023; 8:00 p.m. IST
Venue: Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar
BEN vs TAM Probable Playing 7s
Bengal Warriors
Maninder Singh (C), Aditya Shinde, Shrikant Jadhav, Nitin Kumar, Vaibhav Garje, Darpan, Shubham Shinde
Tamil Thalaivas
Sagar (C), Sahil Gulia, Ajinkya Pawar, Narender, Mohit, Himanshu Narwal, and M Abhishek
BEN vs TAM Dream11 Team Prediction Top Picks, Pro Kabaddi 2023, Match 16
Raider - Narender
With three top raiders in the bracket, it's tough to pick only one, but Narender could emerge the highest point-scorer in the game. Ajinkya Pawar went berserk against Dabang Delhi, but that was because Narender was having an off-day by his standards.
He's still the side's lead raider, and the main reason why he may have an edge over the other two is because of the potentially higher number of raids he can put in.
Defender - Shubham Shinde
There are plenty of quality defenders to choose from, but the experience of Shubham Shinde, and the aggression he has shown in the first two games makes it likely that he picks up at least 2-3 tackle points once again. The Thalaivas' corner defenders or Aditya Shinde aren't bad picks either.
All-Rounder - Nitin Kumar
Bengal Warriors' third raider Nitin Kumar ended up being their best raider against Jaipur Pink Panthers.
The NYP is one of the highly regarded youngsters in a side filled with young talent, and his potential to score points as a differential gives him the edge over more routine picks like Himanshu or M Abhishek.
BEN vs TAM Match Captain/Vice-Captain Choices
Narender
Ajinkya Pawar
Maninder Singh
Three Must-Picks for BEN vs TAM, Pro Kabaddi 2023, Match 16
Narender, Ajinkya Pawar, Maninder Singh
BEN vs TAM Expert Tips for Pro Kabaddi 2023
This could be a close game between two well-matched teams, and it's difficult to pick a captain.
Both sides appear to have strong defences, but it's also difficult to drop one of the three main raiders to accommodate an extra defender, and therein lies the issue with regard to team selection for this game.
In terms of all-rounders, Nitin Kumar is the best differential for this game. Sticking with the raiders for captaincy may be wise, with too many options to choose from in defence.
BEN vs TAM Dream11 Prediction Team, Grand League
Defenders: Sahil Gulia, Shubham Shinde, Aditya Shinde
All-Rounders: M Abhishek
Raiders: Narender, Ajinkya Pawar, Maninder Singh
Captain: Ajinkya Pawar I Vice-Captain: Maninder Singh
BEN vs TAM Dream11 Prediction Team, Head-to-Head League
Defenders: Sahil Gulia, Shubham Shinde, Sagar
All-Rounders: Nitin Kumar
Raiders: Narender, Ajinkya Pawar, Maninder Singh
Captain: Narender | Vice-Captain: Maninder Singh