UP Yoddhas will fight it out against Bengal Warriors in their first match of the Pro Kabaddi League 2019 season at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Wednesday, July 24. Both the teams performed well in the last season and made it to the playoffs. But, they could not lift the trophy as Bengaluru Bulls emerged champions.
Preview, Prediction and Schedule
In the last season, UP Yoddhas narrowly missed out on a final berth but they were quite a strong unit. This time around, they have made their team even more formidable on paper adding big names to the attacking front. Star raiders Monu Goyat, Shrikant Jadhav and Rishank Devadiga will lead the attack and the trio is a major threat to any team in the league. They have also got Iranian all-rounder Mohsen Maghsoudlou who has the ability to do justice to his position and contribute to the team. Their defensive duties will be taken care of by their captain Nitesh Kumar, who, last season became the first defender to score 100 tackle points in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League. He will be assisted by all-rounders Narender and Sachin Kumar.
On the other hand, Bengal Warriors also managed to go through to the playoffs as they were in good form last season. Their attack will be taken care of by captain and star raider Maninder Singh with support from K Prapanjan, Sukesh Hedge. Their biggest buy at the auction, Iranian Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, was bought for a whopping Rs 77 lakh and will make his debut in the league. But looking at his international success, he will be a major threat for all the other teams. Jeeva Kumar will be a key presence in their defence with assistance from Baldev Singh and Rinku Narwal.
According to the previous records and head-to-head, Warriors have an upper hand. But the Yoddhas have a formidable unit this season. It is going to be a closely contested match.
The UP Yoddha-Bengal Warriors contest will start at 7.30 PM IST.
TV listings and Live Streaming
The broadcasting rights of the tournament are held by Star Sports and the matches will be telecasted on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Marathi. For live streaming on the internet, the platform will be Hotstar.
