With two wins, two losses and a tie from their five games in this season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, the Jaipur Pink Panthers will look for some momentum as they take on Dabang Delhi at the Ganchibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. The Pink Panthers will look to bounce back from the loss against the Paltan while Dabang Delhi will be coming into the match at the back of a win from their previous match against the Bengaluru Bulls and will be looking to keep their winning streak alive.
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After being humbled by U Mumba, Delhi came up with an inspiring performance against the Bulls led by the duo of Sachin Shingade and Meraj Sheykh to register their first win in this season. The Pink Panthers will eye a comeback into winning form following a loss to the Puneri Paltans, but will have to be attentive to the challenges that the Delhi defence can present on the mat.
Dabang Delhi performance so far
The Dabangs from Delhi entered into the competition with a reputation of going down constantly as the tournament progresses, but this year they have changed their approach and style of playing, with new faces sporting their jersey this year.
Led by Kashiling Adake who still has not had a stellar game this year, the Delhi unit has put out a brave face in tough situations and have not fallen prey under pressure. Sachin Shingade has been for Delhi, while Meraj Sheykh has been instrumental in the team’s success with his all-round performance.
Although Meraj played more of the defender’s role in the Titans setup last season, this season he has been utilised more as a raider and has provided Delhi with crucial raid points. Selvamani K, who was retained ahead of the season has been utilised cleverly with a lot of success.
From the Delhi’s point of view, Sachin Shingade has been their major success story. Capable of slotting into any position, Sachin's adaptability has made him a major element to Delhi's recipe towards advancements.
Jaipur Pink Panthers performance so far
Occupying the fifth place on the points table with just the two wins from their five games so far, the Panthers will be looking for another win to strengthen their hold on one of the spots amongst the top four.
Skipper Jasvir Singh has been the stand out performer for the Panthers, with 27 raid points from his five games. Shabeer Bapu has been his wingman at most times but has also scored to camouflage Jasvir’s lack of form which has been beneficial for the Panthers.
One advantage the Panthers have on their side is the shift in responsibility amongst the raiding department. While Jasvir Singh is no doubt the main raider, Shabeer Bapu has often pitched in for Jasvir’s faults, while Rajesh Narwal was phenomenal against the Titans, scoring eight points to bring home the victory to the Panthers and almost won them the battle against Pune.
Against U Mumba, Shabeer Bapu was at his rebellious best, scoring points at free will to get the Panthers back into the contest albeit some costly mistakes which cost them the game while Jasvir was the wrecker-in-chief against the Bulls, in a match that produced a tie.
Match Prediction
Starting slow in the tournament against U Mumba, Rajesh Narwal has picked up speed and along with that points from both raid and defence quarters as the tournament has progressed. After a stunning show against his ex-team U Mumba, Shabeer Bapu has lost steam and will be looking to get back into his vicious raiding form which makes him the X-factor for this contest.
Kashiling Adake, perhaps one of the best raiders in the Pro Kabaddi League has not showcased his full potential yet, and will be wanting to sting the Panthers hard. However, in his way will be Rajesh Narwal and Ran Singh, both who have produced strong tackles at the time when it is most needed.
Both teams have had their good times as well as bad times this season. The Panthers have a touch more experience in their squad, which could be important to upstage Dabang Delhi in this encounter and are predicted to come out victorious from this contest.
Squads
Dabang Delhi
Raiders: Kashiling Adake, Selvamani K, Deepak Narwal, Sanju, Prashant Rai, Umesh Mhatre, Vikash Khandola.
Defenders: Prashant Chavan, D. Suresh Kumar, D Gopu, Ram Kumar Sah, Sachin Shingade, Anil Kumar, Hadi Tajik, Sanket Chavan.
All-Rounders: Bhupender Singh, Meraj Sheykh, Phoonchoo Tin, Manjeet.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Raiders: Jasvir Singh (Captain), Shabeer Bapu, Ajay Kumar, Lo Chia Wei, Mahipal Narwal, Tushar Patil, Amit Nagar.
Defenders: Amit Hooda, Rohit Rana, Parveen Narwal, Jawahar.
All-Rounders: Ran Singh, Rajesh Narwal, Shrikant Tewthia, Kazuhiro Takano, Parvesh Bhainswal, Tae Deok Eom.
Dabang Delhi vs Jaipur Pink Panthers Live Match Information
Date: 06/07/2016
Time: 20:00 IST
Venue: Ganchibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad.
TV Channels: Star Sports 2/Star Sports 2 HD (English), Star Sports 3/Star Sports 3 HD (Hindi)
Live stream: http://www.starsports.com
