Puneri Paltan vs Bengaluru Bulls, Pro Kabaddi (PKL), Today Match Prediction

punp vs bb Match Prediction & Analysis

The runners-up of season 9, the Puneri Paltan are playing as if they want to fulfill an unrealized dream. They fell short in the finals last year, but this season, every match for them is like the finals. On the other hand, former champions Bengaluru Bulls have been wayward as they lost their first 4 matches. 

Finally they beat the defending champions to open their account of season 10. While the Puneri Paltan has been one of the most aggressive teams of this season, the Bengaluru Bulls are lagging in all departments of the game. The Paltan thrashed Dabang Delhi in the absence of Naveen Kumar in the last match. Bengaluru Bulls somehow squeezed past the Jaipur Pink Panthers winning their first game of the season by a margin of just 2 points. 

This encounter is heavily tilted in the favor of Puneri Paltan. Skipper Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite form an unbeatable raiding trio. Their defense with rock solid with Iranian Mohammedreza and Sanket Sawant. This will be a tough game for the Bulls as they take on the Paltan.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Puneri Paltan Preview

The Puneri Paltan has been one of the best team of season 10. They are on top of the points table with 21 points from 5 matches. They have retained the core from the team that finished as the runners-up in season 9. In addition they signed up Iranian all-rounder Mohammedreza which has upgraded their defense. 

The Paltan won its first 2 matches only to lose to the Haryana Steelers. Pune just could not maintain the intensity in the second half due to which they lost the match by 5 points. This was a blemish which did hurt them badly. They gave their fans a reason to celebrate as they thrashed the Bengal Warriors in their next match by a huge margin of 30 points. 

Puneri Paltan is strong in all departments of the game. Their raiding trio of Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite is deadly. Mohit Goyat recently completed 300 PKL points. He has been acrobatic in his escapes stunning the opposition defenders. Aslam and Mohit have gathered 71 raid points together in5 matches.

Their biggest strength is their defense. The Paltan has the best efficiency in team tackles with a success rate of 50%. They have earned 75 tackle points in 5 matches which is quite impressive. Puneri Paltan has inflicted 9 all-outs in the season. They have also dabbled with the Do-or-Die raiding option once in a while earning 16 DoD points. Raider Pankaj Mohite has been their DoD expert.

But with in-form defenders like Abhinesh, Sanket Sawant and Gaurav Khatri, it’s very difficult for opposition raiders to escape this trap. Add to this the spicy ankle holds of left corner Mohammedreza makes it further impossible to score. Hence the Bengaluru Bulls will have a tough time against the Paltan on their home turf. The Paltan has won 9 out of their 16 encounters in the PKL.

Bengaluru Bulls Preview

Former champions have looked a shade of themselves in this season. They lost 4 consecutive matches which shocked their fans. The Bulls have not been able to plan properly. Neither they are defense heavy, neither they are able to set the mat on fire with their raiding. Their raiding trio of Vikash Kandola, Bharat Hooda and Monu haven’t fired together. The biggest issue with the Bulls has been their defense. 

They managed to beat the Jaipur Pink Panthers in their last match. Though the margin was just 2 points, but it gave the former champions much needed oxygen in the tournament. After trailing at half-time which also included an all-out, the Bengaluru Bulls came back sharply in the second half to win the match. 

But the Bulls seem to have too many problems. Though they have inflicted 7 all-outs in 6 matches, they have conceded 8. They have conceded 208 points in 5 matches which is quite expensive. Their success rate in team raids is just about 34%. Hence they are neither able to earn raid points, nor they are able to defend properly through the entire match. 

Raider Bharat Hooda has been their lone warrior. He has earned 55 raid points from 43 successful raids which includes 3 Super raids. Vikash Kandola was signed for a hefty amount at the recently held auctions but he had a lukewarm start to the season. Though he is warming up, much is expected from him. Vikash scored 8 points in the last match with the Pink Panthers. 

Captain Saurabh Nandal has been inconsistent. He did score a Hi 5 in his last match but overall he has been able to execute 16 successful tackles in 6 matches. Left corner Aman, defenders Surjeet and Vishal have scored individually but not as a unit. Hence the Bulls seem to be in a state of panic throughout the 40 minutes on the mat.

They will be up against the formidable Puneri Paltan which seems to be in hot form off-late. This will be the biggest test for all the raiders of Bengaluru Bulls. If they are able to breach the defenses of the Paltan, the Bulls will not settle at anything less than a spot in the play-off.

PUNP vs BB
Winning Prediction

Welcome to one of the most entertaining matches of the season as the Puneri Paltan takes on the Bengaluru Bulls. Both teams have an emotional fan following. The Bengaluru Bulls lost 4 consecutive games before winning against the Jaipur Pink Panthers. But even in that game, none of their raiders could score a Super 10. This will be the biggest challenge for Vikash Kandola and Bharat Hooda. They may not be able to score heavily against the Puneri defense. 

Their only way out will be to trap the Puneri raiders early in the first half and slow down the game. Captain Saurabh Nandal and left corner Aman will be effective but Bengaluru will give away lot of points due to unforced errors. 

The Paltan will be in hot pursuit from the first raid. Both Aslam and Mohit Goyat will score a Super 10 and Pune will take a massive lead by half-time. One of their defenders will score a Hi 5 while Mohammedreza will trap Vikash Kandola early in the first half. The second half of the match will be more entertaining as the Puneri Paltan may inflict more than 1 all-out on the Bulls.

Puneri Paltan will win.

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