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The UP Yoddhas (UP) and the Patna Pirates (PAT) face off in the first game of a PKL 11 doubleheader on Saturday, November 2, at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.
The Yoddhas come into this match on the back of a loss at the hands of the Haryana Steelers. Gagan Gowda's stellar raiding efforts off the bench were not enough to overturn the Steelers' lead, losing 28-30 in the end. Nevertheless, they'll move to the top of the table with a win here, and that's what they'll have their eyes set on.
They did, however, lose both their meetings with the Pirates last season, who will themselves be buoyed by their confident win over Dabang Delhi KC in their previous outing. Their young raiding department slowly settled and came into their own.
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#3 Sandeep Kumar (RAI) (PAT)
Patna Pirates' Sandeep Kumar could be a very handy Dream11 differential pick in the raiding department. So far, it's been all about Devank in terms of Pirates' raiders, with Ayan making a name for himself with his match-winning effort against Dabang Delhi KC.
Sandeep Kumar has the chance to join his raiding partners with a solid performance of his own in this match. The right raider had a solid season as a third raider for Patna last season, but is yet to really hit his stride in PKL 11.
Scoring points against this UP Yoddhas' defense isn't the easiest thing to do, but once he gets into his rhythm, it could be really hard to stop this very talented raider. With an ownership level of under 10%, Sandeep is a powerful yet risky Dream11 surprise pick.
#2 Ashu Singh (ALL) (UP)
UP Yoddhas' right cover Ashu Singh could have a make-or-break outing against the Pirates. He has struggled to make an impact this season, scoring only six tackle points in five matches, and he needs to deliver in this match before he loses his place to someone else.
Ashu does like a game against the Pirates, aggregating five tackle points across his two meetings against them in PKL 10, and with 2/3 of Patna's starting raiders right raiders, he will be in a good position to initiate tackles.
With a solid record in the PKL, plenty of experience to lean on, and a need to prove himself, Ashu Singh is a great Dream11 surprise pick.
#1 Bhavani Rajput (RAI) (UP)
Signing Bhavani Rajput for ₹45 lakh has proven to be a steal for the UP Yoddhas, as the raider, who played second fiddle to Arjun Deshwal at Jaipur, has really come into his own as one of UP Yoddhas' raiding trio. He has been consistent throughout the season, scoring 25 raid points in five matches, often emerging as the team's best raider as opponents tend to focus on Bharat and Surender Gill.
This could be one such game, with both the Patna corners in pretty good form, and it may need a Bhavani Rajput special to help the Yoddhas win it. He has been criminally overlooked by Dream11 players, and at a pretty affordable price, he's an interesting Dream11 surprise pick.
