U Mumba will lock horns with Jaipur Pink Panthers on Tuesday in Pro Kabaddi League Season 8.
The Triple Panga night will begin with a repeat of the Season 1 final. They will, however, be facing each other with an intention of securing a Playoff spot. Both the former champions are not in the Top 6 of the points table which will make for a fascinating encounter.
Jaipur's hopes will once again hinge around their star raider Arjun Deshwal. He was in incredible form despite Jaipur's loss against Bengaluru Bulls. The defensive corner combination of Sandeep Dhull and Sahul Kumar will also need a perfect night to stop the U Mumba raiders. In Ajith Kumar and Abhishek Singh, U Mumba have two clever raiders with different skillsets. If allowed to settle, they will wreak havoc in the Jaipur defence.
At the other end, Fazel Atrachali must ensure his defenders are mentally prepared for the challenge. His own personal battle, with the right raider Arjun Deshwal, could decide the outcome of the match. Rahul Sethpal and Rinku will also need to be on their toes to ensure Deepak Hooda has a quiet game for the Panthers.
Haryana Steelers' Vikash Kandola exposed the biggest weakness in Mumbai's defence - speed. The raider's quick feet on the mat caused a lot of confusion in the usually well-organised Mumbai defence. Fazel Atrachali is not known to back down from a challenge however and will approach the match with a fully prepared plan for the Jaipur raiders.
The second match of the night will see Patna Pirates take on Bengaluru Bulls. The team from Bengaluru clinched an important win against Jaipur in their previous outing and will be hoping for another positive result to keep their Playoff hopes alive.
Bharat outperformed Pawan Sehrawat for the Bulls against Jaipur which should give coach Randhir Sehrawat the confidence to go in with a two-raider strategy. That will allow him to start GB more in the team and add more steel to the defence.
Patna have been nearly flawless in their recent outings but with the Playoffs so close, they might consider giving some of their players much needed rest. It will also be an opportunity to give more confidence to their bench.
The final match of the Triple Panga night will be played between Puneri Paltan and Tamil Thalaivas. The Pune team, under coach Anup Kumar, have seen a remarkable change in fortunes in the second of the season. Young raiders Mohit Goyat and Aslam Inamdar have catapulted them to a possible place in the Playoffs.
The work is still not done, and they will need to beat a strong Tamil Thalaivas team to make it to the eliminators. Thalaivas will hope their defensive combination of Sagar and Surjeet Singh can conjure up some early-season form to stop the young raiders of Pune. Even the Tamil team stand with an outside chance of making it to the playoffs.
( With inputs from ANI )
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