The Telugu Titans will take on the UP Yoddha in the first match of the day at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Sonepat. The Titans' are coming off a win against the Tamil Thalaivas would look to improve upon their performance against a stronger UP Yoddha in order to carve out a win for themselves.
Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh Salunkhe would look to score maximum points against the Yoddhas' defense which is still trying to find its footing. Mohsen Maghsoudlou, after a terrific all-round performance (3 raid and 4 tackle points), would be itching to go onto the mat and perform for his side.
The corners, Abozer Mighani, and captain, Vishal Bhardwaj, while initially found lacking coordination got in sync as the match progressed and look like a lethal duo that could take any opposition head-on.
The Yoddhas, on the other hand, would look to avoid errors in defense and sort out a defensive squad that coordinates well to tackle. The defense lacked leadership and could manage just 7 tackle points, a bulk of which came from the right corner Nitesh Kumar (4 points).
The left corner selection has been posing issues for the Yoddhas. They tried using Sagar Krishna in the position, who struggled to leave much impact on the game. Instead of meddling with the selection, they should stick with Sachin Kumar who is the only specialized left corner in their squad.
The raiders, led by their captain, Rishank Devadiga have been performing well, especially the young Shrikant Jadhav who put his mind and skill to great use in scoring 12 points against the Pirates' defense.
Probable playing 7:
Telugu Titans: Vishal Bhardwaj (c), Rahul Chaudhari, Nilesh Salunkhe, Mohsen Maghsoudlou, Farhad Rahimi, Anil Kumar, and Abozar Mighani
UP Yoddha: Rishank Devadiga (c), Prashant Kumar Rai, Shrikant Jadhav, Jeeva Kumar, Nitesh Kumar, Sagar Krishna, and Sachin Kumar
When and where to watch: 20.00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar.