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Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Preview: In-form Patna Pirates face third-placed Haryana Steelers

While, Pirates will look for a win as they eye a play-off spot, Steelers, will hope to return to winnings ways after their seven-match unbeaten run was snapped in their last game.

Patna Pirates lost to Haryana Steelers in the reverse fixture (Image Courtesy: Pro Kabaddi)

Bengaluru, September 23: Patna Pirates look to stretch their four-match unbeaten streak when they take on Haryana Steelers in Pro Kabaddi League 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday (September 23).

Pro Kabaddi Special Page | Full Schedule | Points Table

While, the three-time champions Pirates will look for a win as they eye a play-off spot, Steelers, will hope to return to winnings ways after their seven-match unbeaten run was snapped in their last game.

In the reverse fixture, Haryana Steelers handed Patna Pirates their fourt loss of the campaign. So, Patna Pirates will be out to seek revenge and even the scores in the head-to-head records as Haryana lead them 2-1 with one game ending in a tie.

Patna Pirates seem to have found form in the final stretch of the playoff race and are unbeaten in their last four games. Two of those matches saw them register convincing wins, scoring more than 50 points on both occasions.

Needless to say, 'Record-Breaker' Pardeep Narwal has been at the epicentre of their midseason revival and he will once again have a huge role to play on Monday.

He's currently second on the leaderboard for most raid points this season and will want to lead by example against Haryana Steelers, while also hoping for some support in attack from the likes of Mohammad Maghsoudlou and Jang Kun Lee.

As far as their defence goes, Neeraj Kumar - whose 11 tackle points against Puneri Paltan in still fresh in the mind - will be the main obstacle for Haryana Steelers' raiders. Patna Pirates will also expect solid performances from Jaideep and Hadi Oshtorak, both of whom are proven matchwinners in defence.

Haryana Steelers, meanwhile, will be raring to return to the mat and put their loss to Bengal Warriors last time around behind them at the earliest. They are currently third in the standings and have their sights set on a semis spot with six league stage matches and their home leg yet to come.

Monday's contest against Patna Pirates could be a perfect game for them to get back to winning ways and they will take confidence from the fact that they have already beaten the three-time champions once this campaign.

Beating Patna Pirates twice won't be easy though and will require ace raider Vikash Kandola to be on top of his game. Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vinay, who was impressive in their last match, will also need to play supporting roles in attack to ease the pressure off Kandola.

Their defence is filled with an abundance of quality options in Vikas Kale, Ravi Kumar, Sunil and Chand Singh, to name a few. Skipper Dharmaraj Cheralathan's experience and leadership though seems to be what's most important to their defence as was evident during his absence in their last encounter.

Game starts at 7.30 PM IST

Live Channel: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD

Live Stream: HotStar

Source: Pro Kabaddi

Story first published: Monday, September 23, 2019, 9:51 [IST]
Other articles published on Sep 23, 2019