Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers, two sides which are yet to make their debut in Pro Kabaddi 2019 will take on each other at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on 22nd July, Monday at 8:30 PM IST.
The Paltan opted for a rehaul of their side as they made some impressive buys in the auction, acquiring seasoned right cover PO Surjeet Singh from the Bengal Warriors, who will captain the side for this season, taking the pressure off Girish Ernak and Nitin Tomar. The Paltan will be coached by 'Captain Cool' Anup Kumar, who has slotted into his role after announcing his retirement from PKL last season.
The Steelers, meanwhile, let go of captain from last season Monu Goyat but retained youngsters such as Vikash Kandola, left corner Kuldeep Singh ahead of the auction. From the player auction, they signed the services of ace defender Dharamaraj Cheralathan and lanky raider Prashant Kumar Rai.
Puneri Paltan
Key Players: Nitin Tomar, PO Surjeet Singh and Girish Maruti Ernak
Puneri Paltan have a very good raiding unit led by the powerhouse in Nitin Tomar, who will be looking to avoid any injuries this season. Young Manjeet, who they signed from the Patna Pirates along with Darshan Kadian and Pawan Kumar Kadian provide solid raiding options for the side.
Girish Ernak is as dependable as ever playing either as a left corner or cover defender while skipper PO Surjeet Singh will take the right cover position. They have a host of other options to use such as Sagar B Krishna, Shubham Shinde or Sanket Sawant, who can be expected to fill up the rest of the defensive spots in the side.
Haryana Steelers
Key Players: Vikash Khandola, Prashanth Kumar Rai and Dharmaraj Cheralathan
The Steelers have two star raiders in Vikash Khandola and Prashanth Kumar Rai, with the latter returning to the Steelers' squad. With Selvamani K a part of the squad as well, the trio will be banked to produce the goods on the raiding front.
However, their problems lie in their defense unit. With only the experience of Dharmaraj Cheralathan, whose form has declined over the years to bank on, the Steelers look a tad understaffed in their defense unit and lack depth in their squad.
Young Kuldeep Singh in the left corner is quite capable of executing strong tackles while Vikas Kale and Parveen are expected to take care of the cover positions but the slight lack of experience could be their undoing.
Predicted 7
Puneri Paltan: PO Surjeet Singh(C), Girish Maruti Ernak, Nitin Tomar, Manjeet, Pawan Kumar Kadian, Sagar B Krishna and Shubham Shinde
Haryana Steelers: Dharmaraj Cheralathan(C), Kuldeep Singh, Vikash Khandola, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Selvamani K, Vikas Kale and Parveen.
Dream 11 Fantasy Tips
Fantasy Suggestion 1: Nitin Tomar, Vikash Khandola, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Sagar B Krishna, PO Surjeet Singh, Girish Maruti Ernak and Vikas Kale
Captain: Nitin Tomar Vice- Captain: Prashanth Kumar Rai.
Fantasy Suggestion 2: Vikash Khandola, Manjeet, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Sagar B Krishna, PO Surjeet Singh, Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Kuldeep Singh
Captain: Vikash Khandola Vice- Captain: PO Surjeet Singh.
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