Jaipur Pink Panthers will go head-to-head with Dabang Delhi in Match 44 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 4. Pro Kabaddi returned for the Mumbai leg, at the DOME@NSCI SVP Stadium as U Mumba came out victorious in a thrilling match against Puneri Paltans.
Jaipur Pink Panthers are currently 3rd in the table, with 37 points, courtesy of 6 wins and a draw. They’ve been impressive so far, and would be wary of slipping up at such a crucial stage in the tournament. Their opponents, Dabang Delhi had a disappointing outing in the Pro Kabaddi once again, as they have registered only 3 victories so far.
They still have a mathematical chance, if they can win most of their remaining games. Delhi are currently bottom of the table, with three matches in hand over the 7th place, Bengal Warriors
Jaipur Pink Panthers performance so far
Jaipur Pink Panthers were impressive in their last match, as a solid defense held on to give them a crucial 33-27 win over Puneri Paltans. Jasvir Singh was a man on a mission as he toyed around with the Paltans defense. His mini-battle with Manjeet Chhillar was a treat to watch, but the Panthers raider came out on top.
Amit Hooda was probably the best player in the match, as he looked solid as a rock in his right-back position. Hooda kept the likes of Ajay Thakur and Sonu Narwal quiet throughout the game. Paltans failed to stage any sort of a comeback, as the Jaipur defense held on to earn 5 crucial points.
Retaining two of their best players in Yasvir Singh and Rajesh Narwal turned out to be a wise move, as both the players have been instrumental in Jaipur’s triumphs so far in Season 4. Skipper Yasvir Singh is Jaipur’s main raider and has troubled the opposition many times this season. He will have a grueling battle with Kashiling Adake.
Rajesh Narwal is also vital to the Jaipur side, thanks to his smart raids and vicious tackles, and would look to continue his impressive display in today’s match. Narwal has lit up Pro Kabaddi with a few stunning performances. His most notable performance this season was against Dabang Delhi, as he racked up 16 points in that match and literally destroyed the Dabangs.
Shabeer Bapu continues to be a key part of the Pink Pathers and his experience will come in handy in today’s match. Ajay Kumar has come up with a few impressive performances this season, and will probably don the role of the fourth raider in today’s match.
Dabang Delhi performance so far
Dabang Delhi’s last match ended in disappointed as Telugu Titans cruised to a 36-28 victory. Delhi used up some mindless reviews, and Titans were clever in its use, tilting the match in their favor at a crucial time. After Delhi conceded an early lead to the Titans, Delhi’s skipper, Meraj Sheykh came to their rescue as he scored some crucial raid points.
Sanket Chavan and Sachin Shingade were impressive in the last match, and the youngsters continued in the same fettle in what has been a brilliant season for them. Selvamani, along with the two youngsters, fought hard, but failed to overturn the 14-8 deficit at halftime.
Adake had a very disappointing outing once again, and has failed to make an impression this season thus far. In the end, Titans resisted Delhi’s effort to come back and won the match 36-28.
Delhi’s Iranian import, Meraj Sheykh, has been the standout player for them this season. Sheykh will be crucial in today’s match against Jasvir Singh and co., and will have to put up a solid performance if Delhi are to win the match.
His vicious tackles and vital raids have troubled oppositions throughout Season 4, he has 27 raid points. Sheykh and Adake will have a huge role to play in today’s match.
Sachin Shingade has been a beast in Delhi’s defense this season and has 31 successful tackles to his name. Arguably Dabang’s best defender this season, Shingade will be hoping to continue his good form against Telugu’s in-form attacking duo of Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh Salunke.
Adake started Season 4 slowly and has failed to kick on since. His form will be vital if Delhi is to have a shot at qualification.
Match Prediction
The match promises to be a thriller, even though the teams are on two ends of the table. Delhi still has a realistic shot at qualification for the semis, and the Pink Panthers would want to continue their good momentum at the back end of the tournament.
Delhi has reaped benefits from their Iranian skipper taking on raiding duties more often. He will be absolutely vital to Delhi’s chances. Jasvir Singh has been in tremendous form, and will look to trouble his counterpart. Rajesh Narwal’s all-round abilities might just turn the game Jaipur’s way.
Pink Panthers hold the edge over Delhi in today’s match, but you never know which Delhi team shows up- the one that was thrashed 26-51 by today’s opponent in an earlier match season or the team that ravaged Bulls 40-20.
Squads
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Raiders: Jasvir Singh (Captain), Shabeer Bapu, Ajay Kumar, Lo Chia Wei, Mahipal Narwal, Tushar Patil, Amit Nagar.
Defenders: Amit Hooda, Rohit Rana, Parveen Narwal, Jawahar.
All-Rounders: Ran Singh, Rajesh Narwal, Shrikant Tewthia, Kazuhiro Takano, Parvesh Bhainswal, Tae Deok Eom
Dabang Delhi
Defenders: Ram Kumar Sah, Prashant Chavan, D.Gopu, D.Suresh Kumar, Sachin Shingade
All-rounders: Bhupender Singh, Meraj Sheykh, Hadi Tajik, Phonchoo Tin, Manjeet
Raiders: Kashiling Adake, Selvamani K, Prashant Kumar Rai, Deepak Narwal, Umesh Mhatre, Sanket Chavan, Vikash Khandol