The Tamil Thalaivas (TAM) and U Mumba (MUM) face off in the 54th match of Pro Kabaddi 2024 on Thursday, November 14, at the Noida Indoor Stadium.
The Thalaivas are not in the best of form heading into this fixture, losing their last three outings. The latest of those was a 26-39 drubbing at the hands of Dabang Delhi KC where little went their way. Well-rested after a six-day break, they'll look to get back to winning ways.
U Mumba, meanwhile, lost their last match against the Haryana Steelers despite another stellar raiding performance from Ajit Chauhan. However, they've done alright overall this season, with five wins and one tie in nine matches.
With both teams boasting of some stellar talents in their ranks, this should be a cracking contest. Let's look at the top three Dream11 surprise picks for this one.
#3 Anuj Gawade (RAI) (TAM)
The Tamil Thalaivas' left cover position has seen constant rotation and chopping and changing throughout this season. At the end of it all, it looks like Anuj Gawade, who's classified as a raider on Dream11 and in general, is the best option in that left cover position.
He has actually done quite a decent job so far, scoring nine tackle points in seven appearances, most of them as a substitute. He'll go up against left raiders like Ajit Chauhan and the substitute Dhanasekar, allowing him to pick up tackle points. Like Nitesh Kumar, Anuj is also comfortable in deputizing in multiple positions across the defense, and that makes him an exciting Dream11 pick.
If he makes it into the starting 7, he's a handy Dream11 differential.
#2 Rohit Raghav (ALL) (MUM)
Rohit Raghav, U Mumba's utility raiding all-rounder, received another start in their defeat to the Haryana Steelers, and if he retains that spot going into this match, he becomes a solid Dream11 option.
Aside from his skilful raiding, which seems to peak in pressure situations, he has also shown great timing with his diving tackles from the in-positions. That's something that has troubled the likes of Sachin Tanwar and Narender Kandola, and even if he could score two tackle points in this fixture, he could be a decent Dream11 surprise pick in this fixture.
#1 Amirhossein Bastami (DEF) (TAM)
With Sagar Rathee ruled out of the season with an injury, it's clear that Amirhossein Bastami will play the bulk of the season as the Thalaivas' starting right corner. The Iranian defender will look to up his game and play on another level to what he's been doing so far.
While 15 tackle points in eight games isn't bad, a ratio of less than two tackle points/game is too less for a corner defender, and Bastami will know that. He has been more aggressive and proactive as a defender in the last couple of matches, and with the opponent having a few left raiders which it'll make it easier for him to initiate tackles, he definitely has a chance of recording 3-4 tackle points in this match.
That makes him a quality Dream11 option.