The Bengaluru Bulls look all set to play their first match of the tournament against the home side, Tamil Thalaivas.
Bengaluru Bulls did not make a big splash at the auctions but were selective in their acquisition of key players who could work well as a team and take them into the playoffs.
In the raiding department, they have the familiar leader Rohit Kumar, who along with Kashiling Adake, Harish Naik and Pawan Kumar Sehrawat shoulder the responsibility to plan and execute the Bulls' attacks.
Leading the defense are the young and familiar Ashish Kumar Sangwan and Mahender Singh in the covers, and Raju Lal Choudhary as the right corner.
While the Bengaluru Bulls' team does look inexperienced on paper, let's wait and watch what coach, Randhir Singh has in stores for the Bulls' opponents.
Tamil Thalaivas, on the other hand, after two consecutive defeats would look to get back to winning ways. While the raiding department has been performing fine, except the temperamental Jasvir Singh, the defensive unit lacks coordination and cohesiveness and therefore has been leaking points. These points are what turned out to be the difference in the last couple of matches.
The Thailavas' seem to consistently figure out the game and become proactive in the final 5 minutes, then why can't they do the same from the very start is beginning to raise serious questions on the attitude and mental character of the team. The coaching staff needs to go back to the drawing board, leave the players with an individualistic tendency aside and figure out a playing 7 that works as a team.
Probable playing 7:
Bengaluru Bulls: Rohit Kumar (c), Kashiling Adake, Harish Naik/Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Ashish Kumar, Mahender Singh, Raju Lal Choudhary, and Sandeep
Tamil Thalaivas: Ajay Thakur (c), Athul MS, Sukesh Hegde/Surjeet Singh, Manjeet Chhillar, Darshan J., C.Arun, and Amit Hooda
When and where to watch: 21.00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar