Dabang Delhi K.C.
Naveen Kumar looked refreshed after his break and went straight back to business in the semi-final. He notched up his 20th consecutive Super-10 and this streak just never seems to end. He would love to get his 21st straight Super-10 in the final of PKL 2019 and help Dabang Delhi K.C. lift the crown.
Naveen Kumar is quick and very good technically. He is likely to be able to find any weaknesses that the Bengal Warriors defense has. Chandran Ranjit and Vijay had a good semi-final as well and showed that Dabang Delhi K.C. is not just about one man.
Perhaps as important as the contribution of the raiders was the role of the defense in keeping Pawan Kumar Sehrawat quiet. Ravinder Pahal came up with a brilliant performance aided by Joginder Narwal, Vishal Mane, and Anil Kumar.
The role of Vijay should not be underestimated in this side since he is an excellent all-rounder and has helped fill any gaps that may have existed.
Dabang Delhi K.C. has a well-rounded side without many weaknesses and goes into this match as the clear favorite.
Bengal Warriors
There has not been an official announcement but it appears as if the Bengal Warriors are going to be playing the PKL 2019 final without Maninder Singh. That is a huge blow to the side and one which may end up costing it the title.
With over 200 raid points to his name, Maninder Singh is the best raider of the team and his physical presence makes him very difficult to defend. Sukesh Hegde, K Prapanjan, and Mohammad Nabibakhsh are the other players that will try to pick up the slack in the absence of Maninder Singh but it is not going to be an easy job.
We expect to see Sukesh Hegde as the lead raider after his excellent performance against U Mumba. He and Mohammad Nabibakhsh will take the most raids with Prpanjan used as a relief raider.
This is still a very potent offense but one which does not have the fear factor that Maninder Singh brings.
Baldev Singh, Rinku Narwal, and Jeeva Kumar will have to find a way to stop Naveen Kumar. This is something that no team has managed in PKL 2019 and so the odds are stacked against them. If somehow, the defense does manage to keep Naveen Kumar from running riot then the Bengal Warriors could lift their first ever PKL title.
With 283 points to his name, Naveen Kumar may only be third in the raid points tally but his effectiveness is better than any other raider. Ravinder Pahal is the leading defender for Dabang Delhi K.C. with 62 tackle points to his name.
Baldev Singh has 64 tackle points for the Bengal Warriors while Mohammad Nabibakhsh is its most effective all-rounder with 112 points to his name.
The previous two matches between the two teams ended in a tie and a victory for the Bengal Warriors. These are the strongest teams and are pretty evenly matched. The absence of Maninder Singh tips the balance in favor of Dabang Delhi K.C.
Bet on Dabang Delhi K.C. to win.