Bengal Warriors
The Warriors have retained many players from the Championship winning team from the last season, and at the same time, tried to strengthen some weak links by bringing in some fresh talent.
Experienced raider and skipper Maninder Singh, has been retained as expected. He has been a part of the squad since season 5 and has matured well into a fine leader. Overseas player Mohammed Esmail Nabibakhsh, who was the captain in the finals, as well as the top scorer of the game, has also been retained. Other key names who have been kept unchanged include Rinku Narwal and Ravindra Kumawat.
The team has brought in Abozar Mohajermighani to assist Rinku Narwal in defense. The offensive capability of the team will be strengthened with the inclusion of Rishank Devadiga, who played the previous three seasons for the UP Yoddha. Devadiga will be the replacement for K. Prapanjan, who moved to the Thalaivas this season.
UP Yoddha
Ever since their debut in the 2017 season, the Yoddha have made it to the playoffs every single time, and that speaks volumes about their talent as a team. The title, however, has remained elusive to them. The team is leaving no stone unturned this season to ensure a championship victory.
To realize the dream, Yoddha has snapped up Pardeep Narwal for a record-breaking sum of ₹1.65 crores. Narwal, who is arguably one of the best raiders in the league’s history, will join Shrikant Jadhav, who has been retained. Both of them cumulatively own more than 1500 raiding points.
The defense will be provided by stalwarts Nitesh, Sumit, and Ashu Singh, who have been retained. Assisting them will be Aashish Nagar and Gaurav Kumar, who are eager to make a mark on the big stage.
Abozar Mohajermighani needs 40 points to become only the second foreign player to more than 200 tackle points in the league’s history, behind Fazel Atrachali.
Pardeep Narwal is the most successful raider in PKL history, with 1160 raid points in 107 games.
In the past head-to-head encounters, both the teams have been evenly matched. However, the momentum that the Bengal Warriors have built over the last season may be enough to see them through.
Bet on a Bengal Warriors win.