Pro Kabaddi 2021 | Haryana Steelers and Telugu Titans look to register first win; Puneri Paltan face uphill task against Patna
Puneri Paltan bounced back from a disappointing loss in their season-opener against Dabang Delhi K.C. with a thrilling 34-33 win over the Telugu Titans. Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat were particularly impressive, combining for 17 points; but Paltan will be concerned about Rahul Chaudhari’s form.
Puneri Paltan vs Patna Pirates
Nitin Tomar sat out of the Paltan’s win over the Titans while the latter managed just one point. The team needs their veteran raiding duo to be fit and firing to have hopes of venturing deep this season.
After experiencing the thrill of winning a game in the dying moments in their season-opener, Patna Pirates felt the agony of their opponent stealing victory from underneath their noses in their last outing against U.P. Yoddha. The 35-36 loss must have stung, but the team will take solace in their raiding trio’s form.
Prashanth Rai, Monu Goyat and Sachin combined to score 23 points, a welcome sight for the Pirates. Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Chiyaneh announced himself with a seven-point performance. If the Pirates can weed out some errors, they will find themselves winning often.
Telugu Titans vs Haryana Steelers
So far in Season 8, the Telugu Titans have played in two thrillers but have tied one and lost one. They currently sit near the bottom of the table and need their morale-boosting win to kickstart their campaign. Outside of Siddharth Desai, no other player has hit double digits in points this season for the Telugu Titans. Desai, who has scored a Super 10 in both games, needs the support to come through if the team are to retain hopes of ending their playoff drought.
The Haryana Steelers have had a tumultuous start to their campaign and are the only team to lose both their matches this season. But neither loss has been heavy, meaning a couple of key moments going in their favour could have easily seen them win both games. But the reality is they have dropped two games and need a win to kickstart their season. The Steelers will want their team to follow Vikash Kandola and Surender Nada’s footsteps. The duo has been impressive this season, and the team will want the rest of the roster to follow their lead.