Haryana Steelers vs Puneri Paltan, Pro Kabaddi (PKL), Today Match Prediction

hs vs punp Match Prediction & Analysis

The Haryana Steelers have peaked at the right time in this season which helped them secure the berth for the next round. Sheer teamwork has been their mantra for success. Whenever their young players were given a chance, they excelled. Haryana Steelers face the Puneri Paltan which will be their biggest test before the eliminators. The Paltan has continued its good form since season 9. After losing the finals last year, the Paltan has entered the arena in every match to avenge that debacle. Their raiding is fluid while their defense is rock solid.

Haryana Steelers defeated U Mumba in their last match. It was a high scoring affair as young raider Vishal Tate made a sensational debut with 15 raid points. Defender Naveen Kundu scrored a Hi 5 while Harsh and Monu Hooda scored 4 tackle points each. The Puneri Paltan defeated Bengal Warriors by their tactical brilliance. This was a low scoring affair as raider Akash Shinde scored a Super 10. Pune lost to the Steelers in their first meeting this season. As both teams have qualified for the next round, this match will be a testing ground for many young players from both sides.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Haryana Steelers Preview

One of the most talented but maverick teams of the league are the Haryana Steelers. They are loaded with brilliant players but ones in a while the team loses its intensity. They had a false start to the season as they lost to the UP Yodha. The Steelers improved their performance in the next 2 games. The Steelers peaked at the right time to their last 5 matches and qualified for the eliminators. The Haryana Steelers finished 7th last year as they lost many matches in the first few weeks of the season. They did make a comeback in the last few weeks but that was not enough for them to qualify for the play-off.

Coach Manpreet has installed a do or die attitude in his team. The Steelers are not known for their raiding prowess. They suffered due to this weakness in some matches. But Haryana is using the Puneri technique of teamwork in raids which has helped them flourish. Raiders Vinay and Shivam Patare have been consistent in most games. This helped Siddharth Desai regain his form. The Haryana Steelers unleashed young raider Vishal Tate in the last match against U Mumba. Vishal ended scoring 15 raid points. As the Steelers have already qualified for the next round, they used this match to introduce young defenders like Harsh, Naveen Kundu and Monu Hooda. The Haryana defense scored 14 tackle points in the match.  All-rounder Ashish has been successful in specific games. Right cover Mohit Nandal and left corner Mohit have combined nicely along with captain Jaideep Dahiya.  Right corner Rahul Sethpal has also improved his consistency.

Haryana Steelers have a success rate of 45% in team tackles which is next to the best team which is Puneri Paltan. Hence this will be a super face-off between the defense of both teams. Haryana has not been able to trouble the Paltan over the years. They have won just 5 out of their 13 encounters. Haryana came close last season when they forced a TIE against the Paltan in a low scoring match. They need to find a potent combination so that they can trouble the Puneri team.

Puneri Paltan Preview

The Puneri Paltan was an average team in the PKL for the first few seasons. They tried various players but never got get going. Season 8 was the turning point for their team as they started performing consistently. Season 9 was one of their best performances as they reached the finals only to lose to the Jaipur Pink Panthers. The Paltan has already qualified for the next round by virtue of 15 victories from 20 matches. Defenders Abhinesh and left cover Sanket Sawant have been precise in their moves. They have the best efficiency in team tackles which is about 56%. Defenders Mohamedreza and Gaurav Khatri have been devastating. Mohamedreza has executed 80 successful tackles this season. 

Their formula for success- trio of young raiders and a solid defense. The trio of captain Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite pose a threat to their opponents. Even if one of them fails to score, the others step in which makes it extremely difficult to regulate the Puneri Paltan. Another interesting pattern that the Puneri Paltan has developed is to maintain high intensity through the matches. They score heavily throughout the game thus scaring their opponents. But this is a similar strategy employed by the Haryana Steelers and hence this will be one of the most explosive contest of the season.

The Paltan has one more match after this game against the Steelers. They defeated Bengal Warriors in their last match. This was a low scoring match where the Paltan tested a go slow strategy. Raider Akash Shinde scored a Super 10 while the Puneri defense was rock solid as they did not allow the Bengal raiders to score. Defenders Abhinesh and Mohamedreza hunted with precision as the Puneri defense earned 10 tackle points in the match. Such was the intensity of the Puneri raiders that the Bengal Warriors could not earn a single tackle point in the second half. It will be interesting to see what sort of strategy Pune will follow against the Haryana Steelers. 

The Paltan has beaten Haryana in 7 out of their 13 encounters and the Paltan has not lost to the Steelers since season 8. Though Pune had to settle for a TIE last year in one of the league matches. The Paltan lost to the Steelers in their only league encounter with them this season. It was high scoring affair which the Paltan lost by just 5 points. This encounter will an opportunity to avenge that defeat and get ready for the eliminators.

HS vs PUNP
Winning Prediction

Welcome to an explosive affair as the Haryana Steelers take on the Puneri Paltan. Haryana was a bit inconsistent initially in the tournament but they have recharged themselves. Hence they will approach this match with much more confidence. It will be interesting to see if coach Manpreet uses young players in this match as they have already qualified. One of the Haryana raiders will score a Super 10. The Steelers will depend on their defense to nullify the Puneri raiders. Captain Jaideep and Naveen Kundu will be the key to their success. 

The Paltan may not make lock stock changes in their side. Their defense will be the same set of players while some new raiders may be tried in the first half. The Paltan will try and slow down the match in the first 20 minutes. But they will increase the intensity post half-time. This will be an interesting match-up between the defense of both teams. Their last encounter was high scoring affair, and this one could be a bigger entertainer than all the other matches.

Puneri Paltan will win.

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