Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22: Patna Pirates take on Tamil Thalaivas, Bengaluru Bulls hope to continue charge

Bengaluru: In-form teams Patna Pirates and Tamil Thalaivas will be eager to continue their winning streaks when they face off in the Pro Kabaddi League on Thursday. Bengaluru Bulls will take on Jaipur Pink Panthers in the second match of the day. Both Pirates and Thalaivas have well-balanced squads and are placed third and fifth respectively on the points table. What both teams have done successfully is hunt and defend in packs. Monu Goyat, Sachin and Prashanth Rai have formed a fearsome trio for Patna in the attack. They have compensated for the loss of Pardeep Narwal with their clever raiding, fully understanding their potential and limitations. But in Surjeet Singh and Sagar, they face a defence in red-hot form. The pair got eight points in its previous match and will fancy another defensive shutdown against the Pirates. Thalaivas’ raiding unit of Manjeet, Bhavani Rajput and K Prapanjan haven’t fared badly either. Manjeet, especially, has impressed with his smart raiding, using his height and reach to good advantage. Ajinkya Pawar, a substitute against Yoddha, who chipped in with useful points for coach Udaya Kumar’s team, might also be in the reckoning for a starting spot. In Sajin C and Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, the Pirates have a more than capable defence to fight fire with fire. Both defenders are known to go for their tackles and will eye Manjeet, who favours the left side to raid. Jaipur Pink Panthers look to sort defensive woes The Jaipur Pink Panthers have struggled so much in defence this season that even Arjun Deshwal’s solo raiding brilliance has not really made a difference. The young raider has 68 points from five matches but captain Deepak Hooda has not been able to assist him properly and this has been costing Jaipur dearly. Defenders Sandeep Dull and Vishal haven’t been able to replicate the form we associate with the duo. Shaul Kumar has also been error-prone in the cover position which has forced coach Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan to try different combinations in his defence. Bengaluru, on the other hand, go into the match on a five-match unbeaten run. Against Pune, they showed the depth of their reserves by overturning a 5-point lead in the second half. Well-rested raiders Pawan Sehrawat and Chandran Ranjit will be licking their lips at the prospect of attacking an out-of-shape Jaipur defence.