Bengaluru Bulls will fight it out against Patna Pirates in the Pro Kabaddi League at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium on Monday.
This promises to be a mouth-watering clash. At present, the Bengaluru Bulls are in fifth place just below the Patna Pirates. For both teams it is a very crucial game with only a handful of matches remaining before the semis.
The boys from Patna have more at stake as this is their last game before the semis. However, the Bulls still have three more to go including this match.
A loss for the Pirates may leave them without a chance to make it to the last four whereas if the Bengaluru Bulls end up on the losing side they will have wasted a great chance to make their position secure by climbing up one spot.
Neither the Bulls nor the Pirates can claim to be the favourite here. The Pirates, however, go into this game after losing to Telugu Titans in their last encounter whereas the Bulls beat Bengal Warriors comprehensively in their previous game. The Bulls would be perhaps the more confident side between the two on the back of that win. The Pirates in their last game missed their star raider Rakesh Kumar. They would be hoping that he returns to the side in this game.
The Pirates had started their game against the Titans well as they took the lead but failed to sustain the momentum in the face of some good attacking by the Titans. It was noticeable that their defence appeared all at sea when the Titans mounted raids.
When they take on the Bulls, who have the feared Ajay Thakur, their defence has to be on their toes at all times. The positive for the Pirates was that they showed their attack even without Rakesh Kumar. If he comes back into the side the Pirates offense could be doubly dangerous.
The Bulls would take the momentum of their convincing win against the Bengal Warriors into this game. They would be pleased that they got back to winning ways against the Warriors. Their second-half performance where they dominated would have left them very happy.
Bengaluru Bulls star raider Ajay Thakur will be hoping to repeat the form he displayed in the last game. Skipper Manjit Chillar, adjudged best defender in the last match, would be hoping for a repeat performance.
Both Bengaluru Bulls and Patna Pirates would go all out for the win as it would boost their chances of entering the semi-finals — the stage is set for a tight contest.
Where to Watch Live:
Bengaluru Bulls play Patna Pirates at 9 pm. Star Sports will air the match. Live coverage will comence on Star Sports HD 2. This is the link for the live streaming option on starsports.com.
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