Continuing their stunning form from the third season, an unbeaten Patna Pirates squad will take on a confident Bengaluru Bulls line-up for Patna’s first game on their home mat, at the Pataliputra Sports Complex in Patna. Patna Pirates seem unstoppable at the moment aided by Pardeep Narwal, who is in the form of his life at Pro Kabaddi Season 4 2016.
The Bengaluru Bulls have enjoyed victories from their previous matches and will be high on confidence when they take on the dangerous Pirates on the Pirates home turf. Rohit Kumar has been at his best and is the leading raider for Bengaluru at the moment. Skipper Surender Nada had a disappointing game against the Titans and will be looking to make amends to his efforts when he comes across a rampaging Pardeep Narwal in a highly anticipated kabaddi clash.
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Patna Pirates performance so far
Three matches into the season, the Pirates have remained unbeaten which speaks volumes about the quality of players in the Dharmaraj Cheralathan led side. Pardeep Narwal has showcased an unreal amount of expertise considering his tender age, running through all defences which he has encountered till now with absolute ease including in the win against the Telugu Titans.
Rajesh Mondal, who shifted to the Pirates from the Bulls has played the role of Pardeep’s wingman and has brought Patna points from do-or-die raids quite often. The do-or-die specialist has scored points in the background while Pardeep has been wrecking havoc up front.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan has justified his selection into the team with his vicious tackles and has been complemented superbly by the duo of Bajirao Hodage and Fazel Athrachali. Cheralathan has 7 successful tackles to his name, while Bajirao Hodage and Fazel Athrachali have 6 tackles apiece.
Kuldeep Singh, who is Patna’s top all-rounder has also contributed through both departments and has played second fiddle to Dharmaraj Cheralathan.
Bengaluru Bulls performance so far
Humbled by Dabang Delhi, the Bengaluru Bulls have come back from defeat to register two consecutive wins, one against the Puneri Paltans while the other one came against the Telugu Titans. Rohit Kumar, season three’s most valuable player has continued his fine performances for the Bulls, while Mohit Chhillar, who was the costliest player at the auction has proven his worth in gold. Going through him has been almost impossible for any of the raider so far.
Against the Paltans, the Bulls were lagging by one point with just a minute to go. Rohit Kumar ran in, to crawl out victoriously from the grip of the Paltans raiders producing a super raid to bring the lead and victory to the Bengaluru Bulls.
Against an energetic Titans line-up, the Bulls found themselves with an early lead but squandered it with some silly mistakes that could have been avoided. Surender Nada had an off game, giving away easy points to Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh Salunke. Mohit Chhillar was yet again superb in the right corner and made up well for Nada’s mistakes.
Although touch points came easy for Bengaluru, the bonus points from Pawan Kumar, who came in as a substitute in the second half was the main reason through with the Bulls stayed alive in the last 7 minutes with less than three men on the mat. Rohit Kumar yet again scored a super 10 to his name to keep the lead with the Bulls throughout the game and ensure the Bulls came out victorious in the end.
Match Prediction
With the form Patna are enjoying at the moment, they seem unbeatable at the moment. However, the Bulls have enjoyed some stunning success off-late and will pose a stiff challenge to the Pirates.
Pardeep Narwal and Rohit Kumar have been the X-factor from both teams and will remain so for this game as well. Surender Nada did not meet his expectations from the last game and will look to lead an inspired bunch with his own performances.
Patna will look up to the duo of Rajesh Mondal and Pardeep Narwal to continue their good form to beat the Bulls who are on a winning streak, while Rohit Kumar and Mohit Chhillar will look to combine and keep the Pirates at bay.
Patna might just upstage the Bulls at the end of this game as they are in terrific form this season. Nevertheless, the Bulls have quality match-winners on their side and will give the Pirates a serious run for their money.
Squads
Bengaluru Bulls
Raiders : Amit Rathi, Deepak Kumar Dahiya, Rohit Baliyan, Harish Naik, Pawan Kumar, Rohit Kumar, Pawan Kumar, Sinotharan Kanesharajah, Sumit Singh, Vinod Kumar.
Defenders : Surender Nada (Captain), Mohit Chhillar, Ashish Sangwan, Jeeva Gopal, Manoj Kumar, Yogesh Hooda, Rahul Kumar, Nicholas George Mottaram, Ajay Singh.
All-Rounders : Sanjay Shrestha.
Patna Pirates
Raiders: Pardeep Narwal, Rajesh Mondal, Mahesh Goud, Surjeet Singh, Vinoth Paulyas, Sunny, Abolfazel Maghsodlo.
Defenders: Dharmaraj Cheralathan (Captain), Bajirao Hodage, Fazel Athrachali, Deepak Dhull, Sunil Kumar, Anil Kumar, Vijin Thangadurai.
All-Rounders: Hadi Oshtorak, Kuldeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar.
Patna Pirates vs Bengaluru Bulls Live Match Information
Date: 07/07/2016
Time: 20:00 IST
Venue: Pataliputra Sports Complex, Patna.
TV Channels: Star Sports 2/Star Sports 2 HD (English), Star Sports 3/Star Sports 3 HD (Hindi)
Live stream: http://www.starsports.com
