In Match No. 123 of the Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5, the Friday doubleheader will feature the Bengal Warriors taking to the mat against the Tamil Thalaivas at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in the city of Pune.
The Bengal Warriors have already qualified for the Super Playoffs while the Tamil Thalaivas are out of the competition for the same. The head-to-head stands even with one win each for either side and hence today's fixture will be a potential decider.
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The Bengal Warriors are coming into this match on the back of a win against the Puneri Paltan in their last match while the Tamil Thalaivas edged out U Mumba in their last clash during the Jaipur leg.
Bengal Warriors will be led by Surjeet, who primarily plays as a cover defender and will be the main force marshalling the troops on the mat. He will be assisted by the experienced Ran Singh, who will man the corner position on the mat and Srikanth Tewthia, who will be a key inclusion in the other corner.
The raid department is spearheaded by the comeback man Maninder Singh, who has been absolutely exceptional on the mat. He is supported by Deepak Narwal and Bhupender Singh. However, the Bengal Warriors are unlikely to field their regular side tonight since they have qualified and will look to test the second line of players who make up the bench strength.
Tamil Thalaivas will aim to end the season on a positive note with some wins under their belt after a particularly disappointing debut in this fifth edition. Ajay Thakur and Prapanjan will take care of the attack and will look to render the rival defence hapless.
Their own defence will be manned by Amit Hooda who has been off-colour for the majority of the matches alongside C Arun. Youngsters like D Pradap, Darshan, Vineet Kumar and Vijin Thangadurai will, however, be keen to showcase their mettle in these last few matches in order to be in contention for the next season.
Bengal Warriors vs Tamil Thalaivas match prediction
It is expected to be a good match that will ideally swing like a pendulum throughout the course of the 40 minutes. The Thalaivas will be high on confidence having claimed a win over U Mumba while the Warriors will probably field a second-string side which will find it a tad bit difficult to perform up to the same level.