Hyderabad, July 22: Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers kick off their VIVO Pro Kabaddi (PKL) Season 7 campaigns as they go head-to-head at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday (July 22).
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Both teams will look to get their seasons up and running with a win in their campaign opener which will have plenty of interesting duels to look forward to on the mat. But, the main talking point will be seeing legends Anup Kumar and Rakesh Kumar make their Pro Kabaddi debuts as coaches.
Puneri Paltan, who had an undefeated streak against Steelers, will be coached by Anup, while his old friend Rakesh will be in charge of Haryana Steelers. Both have played together on the international stage and in the PKL in the past, and the face off promises to be an intriguing sub-plot to the match.
We had an undefeated streak against the #steelers last year. Time to roar against them once more on the mat! Are you ready #bhaaripaltan!? 💪🦁
— Puneri Paltan (@PuneriPaltan) July 21, 2019
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.#puneripaltan #gheuntak #pune #VivoProKabaddi #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/rbwegvXaLg
The Maharashtra-based franchise come into the new season reinvigorated with a new coach in Anup and a new captain in Surjeet Singh, who brings an abundance of experience to Puneri Paltan's defence and will look to lead by example.
Surjeet is second in the league's all-time High 5s chart and will be backed up by Girish Maruti Ernak, another established defender in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi circuit.
Puneri Paltan's offence, on the other hand, will be led by Nitin Tomar, who has been a consistent performer over the past two seasons. Another raider to watch out for will be Manjeet. He scored 87 raid points with Patna Pirates in his debut campaign last year and will look to shine this season with his new team.
Leader ✅
— Haryana Steelers (@HaryanaSteelers) July 17, 2019
Veteran ✅
Legend ✅
Introducing our Captain for #VIVOProKabaddi Season 7, #DharmarajCheralathan! #SteelersPressConference #HaryanaSteelers #ShaanSeSteelers pic.twitter.com/bYyP4r1vjZ
Haryana Steelers, meanwhile, will be captained by the evergreen Dharmaraj Cheralathan and the veteran defender's influence is certain to have a galvanizing effect on not just the defence but the entire team.
Having captained Patna Pirates to the Season 4 trophy, Dharmaraj knows what it takes to go all the way in Pro Kabaddi and will look to infuse the winning mentality in the team. He will have ample support in Kuldeep Singh, Vikas Kale and Ravi Kumar, making for a formidable defence.
Haryana Steelers' raiding unit also looks well-balanced with the duo of Vikash Kandola and Prashanth Kumar Rai set to lead their attack. The pair has performed well in the last two seasons and have the experience of raiding together for Haryana Steelers from back in Season 5.
Game starts at 8.30 PM IST
Live Channel: Star Sports Network
Live Stream: HotStar
Source: Pro Kabaddi