Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Preview: Puneri Paltan aim for back-to-back wins against Haryana Steelers

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Bengaluru, September 2: Puneri Paltan look to avenge campaign opening loss against Haryana Steelers in Pro Kabaddi League 2019 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday (September 2).

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In the reverse fixture, Haryana Steelers defeated Puneri Paltan 34-24 on July 22. Since then, Haryana have strung together six wins to reach fifth spot and will look to get into the top four with a win over Puneri Paltan, who are in tenth place with just four wins in eleven.

Their form may be poor, but Puneri Paltan come into the contest on the back of win over Telugu Titans and will look for their first ever back-to-back win of the season. Haryana Steelers, on the other hand, secured their third successive win of the campaign with an impressive win over Gujarat Fortunegiants.

So, both sides will be looking for wins to surge up in the table.

After beating Telugu Titans in their last game, Puneri Paltan's coach Anup Kumar stressed the importance of raiding duo Nitin Tomar and Manjeet. While Tomar has taken time to get back to his best since his return from injury, his performance against Telugu Titans will be welcomed by the team's fans.

He, along with Manjeet - their leading raid points scorer - and Pankaj Mohite, will have huge roles to play against Haryana Steelers as well as in the remainder of the league.

On the defensive front, skipper Surjeet Singh and his teammates' performances have gotten better as the season has progressed. Amit Kumar, Sagar Krishna, Shubham Shinde, Balasaheb Jadhav and Hadi Tajik, have all had their moments to shine this season, which also demonstrates the defensive depth in their squad.

Haryana Steelers, meanwhile, will be confident about beating Puneri Paltan, having already gotten the better of them once this season. Vikash Kandola has been their talisman and he will once again be the team's biggest threat against Puneri Paltan.

Having said that, Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vinay showed everyone what they are capable of in their last outing and they will be hoping to produce another strong showing on Monday.

The team's defence also looks balanced and settled with the evergreen Dharmaraj Cheralathan organising his troops and leading by example. With individuals like Sunil, Vikas Kale and Ravi Kumar - who scored a High 5 in the previous game - for support in defence, opposition raiders will have to be on top of their game to have an impact on the contest.

Game starts at 7.30 PM IST

Live Channel: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD

Live Stream: HotStar

Source: Pro Kabaddi