PKL 2019 Preview: Telugu Titans face Patna Pirates test

Bengaluru, September 20: Telugu Titans will take on the formidable Patna Pirates in Match 98 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 7 on Friday (September 20).

The match to be held at Pune's Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex begins at 7.30pm IST and will be shown live on Star Sports with live streaming available on Hotstar.

Telugu Titans are languishing 11th on the PKL points table while three-time champion Patna Pirates are two rungs above them.

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Both the teams have not had the best of the season so far and will hope to put up a better show in front of a capacity crowd. Expect a cracker of a contest.

Uphill task

After a strong run of four wins and a tie in six matches, Telugu Titans yet again slumped to three straight losses and find themselves 18 points adrift of the top six.

They face an uphill battle in their quest to make it to the play-offs but victories in their remaining seven matches and favourable results elsewhere could see them squeak into the top six at the end of the league stage.

Astounding form

On the other hand, after a dismal run of six successive losses, Patna Pirates have won three on the trot and have given themselves a chance to make finish in the top six at the end of the league stage.

‘Record-Breaker' Pardeep Narwal has been in astounding form and has scored a staggering 58 raid points in Patna Pirates' past three matches.

Baahubali!

The key to Telugu Titans' fortunes will yet again be ‘Baahubali' Siddharth Desai who has been in sensational form, scoring 54 raid points in his last five matches.

In defence, left corner Vishal Bhardwaj has led the way for his side with 54 tackle points in 15 matches, but hasn't received much support from elsewhere.