Puneri Paltan will take on U Mumbai in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in Bengaluru on Thursday.
The Paltan are currently sitting in the penultimate position in the Pro Kabaddi League points table. Despite enduring a miserable campaign, they registered a comfortable win over the Bengal Warriors in their last outing.
Meanwhile, U Mumba, who are currently in fifth position, suffered a reverse against the Patna Pirates after a five-match unbeaten streak. Against their intra-state rival Puneri Paltan on Thursday, they’ll need a victory to move into title reckoning for the title.
This Maharashtrian derby will be worth watching, as it will feature a struggling side looking to continue its turnaround and a consistent but underperforming side striving to recover from an unexpected loss.
U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan Match Details
Match: U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan, Match 52, Pro Kabaddi League.
Date and Time: January 13, 2022, Thursday; 8:30 PM IST.
Venue: Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bengaluru.
Catch the latest live pkl score here on Sportskeeda!
U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan Probable Playing 7s
U Mumba
U Mumba’s offensive unit revolves around Abhishek Singh, while their defence is led by captain Fazel Atrachali. The experience of the Iranian veteran is priceless, but he did make a couple of mistakes in his last outing.
Mumbai need their other raiders to step up. Singh scored eight points in their last match. However, their next two most successful raiders - Mohsen Maghsoudlou and Prathap S - bagged only two points apiece.
They might bring Navneet into their starting lineup to boost their raiding department. The defence looks pretty solid, as the experienced Atrachali has the company of Ashish Sangwan and Rinku.
Probable Starting 7: Fazel Atrachali, Abhishek Singh, Ashish Sangwan, Rinku, Mohsen Maghsoudlou, Prathap S, Navneet.
Puneri Paltan
One of the biggest reasons for the Paltan’s victory in their last outing was their main raider Aslam Inamdar’s success. After failing to register a super-10 this season till that game, he racked up 17 points to boost his Pro Kabaddi team.
The defence also fared well, with Abinesh Nadarajan garnering a high-5 under his belt. However, it wasn’t just Nadarajan who shone in the clash against Bengal. The entire defence performed superbly, wreaking havoc on Bengal.
Probable Starting 7: Aslam Inamdar, Abinesh Nadarajan, Nitin Tomar, Mohit Goyat, Vishal Bharadwaj, Baldev Singh, Sombir.
Today’s PKL Match Prediction
The clash could go either way depending on which raiding unit has the better day. The contest between Abhishek Singh and Aslam Inamdar could be key.
U Mumba have the experienced Fazel Atrachali to keep them on course. Meanwhile, Pune will need to perform well in defence to stand a chance of beating Mumbai.
Prediction: U Mumba to win this Maharashtrian derby on Thursday
U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan Live Telecast Details and Channel List
TV: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar.