Bengal Warriors go up against Telugu Titans in the Pro Kabaddi League at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday.
The Titans are in tremendous form going into the game, having won three games on the trot. Furthermore, they look as if they will make it to the playoffs. The Bengal Warriors, on the other hand, have a rough time in this tournament.
They lost their previous encounter to the Patna Pirates on Thursday. It is no surprise that they are second last. Out of the 12 games they have played in, they have come out victorious in only four. At this juncture a playoff spot looks like a distant dream.
For the Warriors to recover and somehow make it to the playoffs they need something miraculous, especially against the marauding Titans. The Warriors went into their previous encounter against the Patna Pirates with a surprise win under their belt against the same opponents. They, however, failed to deliver when it mattered as the Pirates registered a 36-32 victory.
The problem for the Bengal Warriors has been their leaky defence. In the match against the Pirates their defensive woes cropped up again and cost them the match just when they needed to win badly. In most of their games, the boys from Bengal have conceded early leads and it was no different against the Pirates.
In the upcoming clash against the Titans, the Warriors will go up against the likes of Rahul Chaudhari, Deepak Hudda and Sukesh Hegde. The Warriors cannot, at any cost, let their guard down against this feared trio.
In attack, though, the Warriors do have a few positives -- raider Nitin Madane played well against the Pirates in their last encounter, while the Bengal franchise will hope star raider Jang Kun Lee comes good against the Titans.
The boys from Vizag have suddenly picked up momentum after an indifferent start to the tournament. In their last four games, the attack, led by Chaudhari, has been nothing short of stupendous. Chaudhari seems to be in a league of his own with more than 100 raid points in the Pro Kabaddi League. He would be itching to go up against the Bengal defence, which has looked completely out of sorts.
At this point, the Titans truly look fearsome -- after scratching out a win against U Mumba they hammered Puneri Paltan and Dabang Delhi. They would be hoping to add another win here.
The Bengal Warriors are in dire need of a victory, though, and while the Telugu Titans, clear favourites, look unstoppable at this point, anything is possible.
Where to Watch Live:
Bengal Warriors play the Telugu Titans at 8:00 pm. Star Sports will air the match, with live coverage on Star Sports HD2. This is the link for the live streaming option on starsports.com.
