Dabang Delhi will go up against Puneri Paltan in the Pro Kabaddi League at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium on Monday.
Dabang Delhi who lost a must-win encounter on Sunday to U Mumba are very placed precariously at present. At this juncture even a win against Puneri Paltan may not be enough for them to make it to the semi-finals.
To make matters worse a loss in this game can see them slip further. If they lose this game they will have virtually no hope of making it to the semi-finals. Puneri Paltan on the other hand are not in with a chance of getting to the last four as they languish at the bottom with 10 losses out of 12 games.
Delhi's loss in their last game against U Mumba would have left them very deflated. They were in a very good position. At half-time they led by eight points as the score line read 21 to 13. From here on their defence crumbled as U Mumba led raid after raid.
Time and again their defence has let them down, which has to seen to it that they remain in sixth position. They need to pick themselves up somehow and start winning. In addition to this the boys from Delhi will also hope that the Bengaluru Bulls and the Patna Pirates slip down. The bad news for Delhi is that the Bulls and the Pirates have to lose more than one game as Delhi trail them by nine and 14 points respectively.
For Puneri Paltan, the remaining few matches are just of academic interest. They would, however, want to put on a good show. In their last game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers they did put up a fight but they still ended up on the losing side. What was noticeable was that the boys from Pune were not about to roll over and let the opposition squash them.
In the first half, Puneri Paltan matched the Jaipur Pink Panthers point for point and at one stage they even took a slender lead of a solitary point. In the second half, however, it was back to square one as they were taken apart. Puneri Paltan would be hoping this does not happen again.
The good thing for Puneri Paltan is that they run into Dabang Delhi at a time when the side from Delhi are short on confidence. The Pune side would be hoping to dent Delhi's confidence further. For Dabang Delhi it is a good chance to chalk up a much needed win even if they stand only a mathematical chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Puneri Paltan are looking for an upset while Dabang Delhi are desperate to stay in the tournament — an exciting game is in the offing.
Where to Watch Live:
Dabang Delhi will play Puneri Paltan at 8 pm. Star Sports will air the match. Live coverage will comence on Star Sports HD 2. This is the link for the live streaming option on starsports.com.
