Puneri Paltan
A superb performance from Manjeet helped Puneri Paltan beat the Telugu Titans convincingly in the previous match. The young raiders for Puneri Paltan have been quite impressive so far and we think they are going to be names to reckon with in the future season of the PKL.
Manjeet and Pankaj Mohite were thrust into roles of responsibility due to an injury to Nitin Tomar but now that he has returned they were expected to retreat back. Perhaps the lack of points from Nitin Tomar has made it impossible for the team to bank on its most experienced raider.
Every single player will have to be at their best against the Haryana Steelers and the role of the defenders is going to be especially critical. Surjeet Singh and Girish Maruti Ernak will have to find a way to stopping Vikash Kandola otherwise the match is going to be over in a blink.
Haryana Steelers
Haryana Steeler’s raiding trio is coming along nicely now that Prashant Kumar Rai is finding his feet as well. Vinay is also very good as a supporting raider and picking up crucial points. The man that is the MVP for the Haryana Steelers right now, though, is Vikash Kandola.
He has been weaving a spell around all the defenders he has come across and will want to continue that form against Puneri Paltan. He is not the kind of raider that is susceptible to rushes from the cover defenders because his footwork is very quick. We think he could dominate this game again.
Dharmraj Cheralathan has helped turn the Haryana Steelers defense from being terrible to being passable. Sunil, Vikas Kale, and Ravi Kumar are all good defenders but they are still prone to making mistakes when put under pressure.
Puneri Paltan holds a 5-2 advantage against the Haryana Steelers in head to head matches and that is something that will give the side from Pune some hope.
Haryana Steelers have six wins from their previous seven matches and are in terrific form. We don’t think they are going to be troubled too much by Puneri Paltan in this match.
Bet on Haryana Steelers to win.