League winners Patna Pirates take on UP Yoddha while Dabang Delhi take on Bengaluru Bulls in their Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 semi-finals in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Patna dominated the league stage through a collective effort with an impressive display in defence. But they will face a familiar opponent in UP Yoddha’s Pardeep Narwal, who has won three titles with the Patna team.
Season seven runners-up Delhi will be hoping to reach back-to-back finals but a tough challenge awaits at the Bulls. The Bengaluru-based side have shown they are far more than Pawan Sehrawat in recent games, with secondary attackers Bharat and Chandran Ranjit finding form.
Clock #VIVOProKabaddi Semifinals on February 23rd from 7:30 p.m., only on Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar! #SuperhitPanga
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) February 22, 2022
The winners of both games will meet in the grand final on Friday.
All eyes will be on ‘record breaker’ Pardeep Narwal in the first semi-final. The Star Raider has looked in good shape over the past few matches, turning cage fights into one-sided affairs with his massive multi-point raids. He will no doubt be Yoddha’s greatest asset against Patna.
The Patna team earned a straight spot in the semifinals after topping the league stage. They are a team in form and have a dangerous defense led by Iran’s Mohammadreza Shadloui.
The match could most likely be decided by how well Patna handled Pardeep’s heists. The left attacker won’t have a direct confrontation with Shadloui but the likes of Neeraj Kumar and Sajin C will have to be careful about jumping into early tackles.
Pune paid the price for their zeal by conceding a 5-point Super Raid on Pardeep, who turned the game in the first Eliminator match of the playoffs.
Surender Gill was a great attacking proxy for Yoddha, while her famous corner combination of Sumit and Nitesh Kumar also looks deadly.
It will be interesting to see how Patna does in attack. Sachin should be a favorite given his rich form. But coach Ram Mehar Singh could opt for the experienced Monu Goyat instead of the impressive Guman Singh as a second option in attack. Both teams won a game each when they met in the league stage.
The second semi-final between Delhi and Bengaluru is not just about two of the country’s best raiders – Naveen Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat. In Naveen’s absence, Delhi’s veteran stars showed their full potential, with the likes of Manjeet Chhillar and Sandeep Narwal showing their skills.
Similarly, Bengaluru’s defense and secondary attackers have risen to the challenge in their recent outings and taken the pressure off Pawan’s shoulders.
The outstanding attackers are again called upon to deal maximum damage to opponents. Naveen’s fitness will be a key concern but Delhi have earned extra rest days as they secured a straight spot in the semi-finals by finishing second in the league stage.
With Chandran Ranjit and Vijay, the Bulls have a strong raid unit to support the “high flyer” Pawan Sehrawat. Their corner duo of Sourabh Nandal and Aman were also in good form, allowing covers defender Mahender to become more expressive.
Dabang’s greatest strength is its experience. Manjeet Chhillar, Joginder Narwal and Sandeep Narwal are all veteran stars who have gone through multiple finals in their careers. You will know how to complete the challenge perfectly.
They also have an outstanding all-rounder in Vijay who gives Naveen the support he desires.
When the two teams met in the league stage, the Bulls won one game while the other was a draw.
