Dabang Delhi KC (DEL) face off against the Puneri Paltan (PUN) in the second match of a PKL 11 double-header on Tuesday, November 12, at the Noida Indoor Stadium.
Dabang Delhi broke their four-game winless streak with a close win over the Warriorz. They followed it up with a 39-26 drubbing of the Tamil Thalaivas, with both corner defenders Yogesh and Ashish going berserk, scoring seven tackle points each.
However, the Puneri Paltan were stunned to silence by a spirited Telugu Titans, who beat them 34-35 in a nail-biting contest on Saturday. To make their weekend worse, the Paltan lost captain Aslam Inamdar to a season-ending knee injury, with Pankaj Mohite set to take over as the captain.
With an in-form Delhi taking on a vulnerable Paltan, this should be a blockbuster contest. Let's look at the top three Dream11 surprise picks from this match.
#3 Nitin Panwar (ALL) (DEL)
Dabang Delhi KC's right cover Nitin Panwar should return to their starting 7 for this all-important clash with the Puneri Paltan after being benched for Gaurav Chillar in their previous outing.
Before the previous match where Yogesh and Ashish naturally boosted their statistics for this season, Nitin was Delhi's second-best defender, scoring 12 tackle points in eight appearances. At one point, he was their most popular Dream11 pick after Ashu Malik.
The right cover and the left corner tend to fire in unison, and with Ashish Malik in good form and not conceding as many cheap points as he used to, it boosts Nitin's chances of earning tackle points. With the Paltan operating without Aslam's experience and raiding ability in this one, Nitin has a great chance of getting a solid Dream11 points haul if he gets going.
#2 Sanket Sawant (DEF) (PUN)
Pune's left cover Sanket Sawant could be a handy Dream11 differential for this match. The left cover defender will need to provide valuable leadership to the Paltan team in Aslam Inamdar's absence, and against this particular opponent, he could also be involved in a fair few tackles.
With left raider Vinay Virender playing an integral role in Delhi's raiding unit, Sanket will have plenty of opportunities to pick up tackle points against him. With Aman and Mohd Amaan not in form either in that left corner, Sanket could also be required to deputize in that position if they get sent to the bench, already doing so quite a few times in the last couple of games.
With ownership levels just hovering above 10%, he could be a strong Dream11 surprise pick for this fixture.
#1 Akash Shinde (RAI) (PUN)
Akash Shinde has been consistently featuring on the list of Dream11 surprise picks whenever the Paltan play as he has constantly been overlooked by Dream11 players this season. A main reason for that has been the constant shuffling between himself and Pankaj Mohite throughout the season, resulting in him not getting consistent starts.
However, he's expected to get into the starting 7 for this match, replacing his injured captain Aslam Inamdar, although there's a small chance that V Ajith Kumar could also contend for that spot. He has been impressive whenever he has been on the mat this season, scoring touch points easily and chipping in with a handy tackle point or two.
Akash Shinde or potentially Ajith Kumar will be solid Dream11 surprise picks going into this one.