Hyderabad, July 24: After missing out on making it to the final last season by a whisker, U.P. Yoddha will look to go one better this season as they aim for a winning start in their Pro Kabaddi (PKL) Season 7 opener against Bengal Warriors at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday (July 24).
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The test will, however, be far from an easy one for U.P. Yoddha as the Bengal Warriors also had reached the playoffs last season and come into the campaign with a squad to worry any team in the competition.
U.P. Yoddha as well have assembled a formidable team for this campaign, particularly in the raiding department with the star raiding trio of Monu Goyat, Shrikant Jadhav and Rishank Devadiga. They also have a versatile offence which can, on their day, win a match on their own.
पिछले बार जीत हासिल की थी, इस बार भी काँटे की टक्कर देंगे 👊#YoddhaHum #SaansRokSeenaThok #Throwback pic.twitter.com/1B2eZ9t6qD
— UP YODDHA (@UpYoddha) July 23, 2019
Iranian all-rounder Mohsen Maghsoudlou has also joined the fray and his ability to contribute on both sides of the mat can come in extremely handy at any point in a match.
In captain Nitesh Kumar - the man who, last season, became the first defender in Pro Kabaddi history to score 100 tackle points in a single season - U.P. Yoddha have a star leading their defence, which also boasts of all-rounders Narender and Sachin Kumar.
Ab Bengal Warriors ki baari hai! 🔥
— Bengal Warriors (@BengalWarriors) July 23, 2019
Iss baar karenge saath mein roar, ab machega humara shor! 🤘🏻#AamarWarriors pic.twitter.com/upTjmzErYo
Bengal Warriors, meanwhile, will pin their hopes on captain and star raider Maninder Singh, who is set to spearhead their offence yet again and will have some very able support in K. Prapanjan and Sukesh Hegde.
The Warriors also roped in Iran's Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, who is set for his Pro Kabaddi debut. Although he has not played in Pro Kabaddi before, you cannot discount his performances on the international stage and in the All-Star match. So, Bengal Warriors fans have many reasons to be excited about the all-rounder.
As far as the Warriors' defence is concerned, veteran Jeeva Kumar will be aided by the likes of Baldev Singh and Rinku Narwal, making them an outstanding defensive unit, which will look to take the game to the opposition raiders.
So, who will get off to a winning start? Will it be Maninder Singh led Bengal Warriors or an overall strong U.P. Yoddha? Find out tonight.
Saans Rok. Seena Thok. Aur Ho Ja Taiyyaar. Our season starts today 😎#YoddhaHum #SaansRokSeenaThok pic.twitter.com/lFFZW8R0zy
— UP YODDHA (@UpYoddha) July 24, 2019
Game starts at 7.30 PM IST
Live Channel: Star Sports Network
Live Stream: HotStar
Source: Pro Kabaddi