Telugu Titans begin their Pro Kabaddi League 2018 campaign against Tamil Thalaivas in the ongoing Chennai leg of the tournament on Tuesday, October 9.
When does the kabaddi match start and how to watch it live
The Zone B match between the Thalaivas and the Titans will start at 9 pm IST.
Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.
What to expect from the match
The first Southern derby of Pro Kabaddi League season six brings with it quite a lot of excitement. Both Thailaivas and the Titans have a star-studded team and one can expect nothing less than a blockbuster from Tuesday's match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Home team Thaialaivas began their campaign on a high, beating defending champions Patna Pirates by a comprehensive margin of 42-26. However, they lost a closely-fought battle against UP Yoddha 32-27 on Monday.
Ajay Thakur's team will be keen on getting back to winning ways as making the most of the home legs always gives a bit of cushion to the teams.
Captain Thakur has hit peak form early in the tournament, picking up Super 10s in both the matches Thalaivas have played so far. He will once again be expected to lead the team from the front against the Titans.
Meanwhile, coach Edacherry Bhaskaran will be tempted to make a change to the starting line-up by bringing in Athul MS for Jasvir Singh. The former single-handedly brought the Thalaivas back into the game against the Yoddha, who raced to a 12-0 lead in Monday's thriller.
Meanwhile, the Titans will be hoping their superstar Rahul Chaudhari gets going early like Thalaiva's Thakur. Notably, the top raider from last season has an average of more than nine points against the hosts.
Chaudhari has given up the captaincy of the team, which will be led by all-rounder Vishal Bharadwaj. Titans' 3-0 record against the Thalaivas last season will come in handy as the visitors are hoping for a winning start to their campaign.
All eyes will be on Iran's star defender Abozar Mighani, who has joined the Titans for the sixth season.
Tamil Thailaivas vs Telugu Titans: Squads
Tamil Thalaivas
Ajay Thakur (captain), Sukesh Hegde, Darshan J, Manjeet Chillar, Jasvir Singh, K Jayasselan, Atul MS, Chan Sik Park, Anil Sharma, Abhinandan Chandel, D Gopu, Vimal Raj, Jae Min Lee, Amit Hooda, C. Arun, D Pradap, Rajnish.
Telugu Titans
Vishal Bhardwaj (captain), Rahul Chaudhari, Abozar Mohajermighani, Farhad Rahimi Milaghardan, Rakesh Singh Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Sanket Chavan, Mahender Reddy, Nilesh Salunke, Mohsen Maghsoudloujafari, Rakshith, Sombir, Kamal Singh, Ankit Beniwal, Anand.
