Bengaluru, January 16: In-form teams Puneri Paltan and UP Yoddha will lock horns in game 1 of Monday's double header in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2021-22 at the Sheraton Grand Whitefield in Bengaluru.
Coach Anup Kumar's Puneri Paltan have three wins in their last five matches after a stuttering start to their campaign and currently occupy the tenth position in PKL season 8 points table.
Fourth-placed UP Yoddha, on the other hand, have won two of their last five games and seem a rejuvenated side with star raider Pardeep Narwal also regaining form in their last outing in PKL.
Both Puneri Paltan and UP Yoddha started the season poorly but have managed to pick up momentum in their recent outings. Pune defeated U Mumba 42-23 and UP Yoddha defeated Telugu Titans 39-33. Pune have registered 21 points from 9 matches, while Yoddha have secured 28 points from 10 matches.
PKL 2021-22 Points Table | Results | Fixtures
Nitin Tomar's comeback has given much-need experience to the young Pune team. He clinched important raid points and a High 5 in an all-round performance against rivals U Mumba in their previous match.
But Pune's hopes will once again hinge on their star raider Aslam Inamdar, who has been a standout star for Paltan with his smart toe touches and reverse half kicks. His strength and ability to raid on both corners will be a challenge for UP's experienced corner pairing of Sumit and Nitesh Kumar.
Sumit and Nitesh will be assisted in UP defence by Ashu Singh and Shubham Kumar. UP's own raiding trio of Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill and Shrikant Jadhav will look to take advantage of the eagerness in Pune's defence.
While Aslam, Goyat and Tomar make up the raiding unit, Vishal Bharadwaj, Baldev Singh, Abinesh Nadarajan and Sanket Sawant will make up the Pune defence.
Both Bhardwaj and Baldev have tendency to commit to early tackles which the raiders will look to exploit. Pardeep has been effective picking points when 6 or more opponents are on the mat - something Yoddha will look to take advantage by substituting him correctly.
Dream11 Predicted Starting 7s
Puneri Paltan: Vishal Bharadwaj, Baldev Singh, Aslam Inamdar, Nitin Tomar, Mohit Goyat, Abinesh Nadarajan, Sanket Sawant
UP Yoddha: Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Ashu Singh, Shubham Kumar, Srikanth Jadhav
MyDream11 Starting 7: Aslam Inamdar (captain/All-rounder - PUN), Surender Gill (vice captain/Raider - UP), Vishal Bharadwaj (Defender - PUN), Mohit Goyat (Raider - PUN), Sanket Sawant (Defender - PUN), Abinesh Nadarajan (Defender - PUN), Nitesh Kumar (Defender - UP)
Match Details
Puneri Paltan vs UP Yoddha
Date and start time: Moday (January 17) at 7:30 PM IST
Live Channel: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD
Live Streaming: Disney+HotStar