Jaipur Pink Panthers would like to forget their winless start in their home leg at the Pro Kabaddi League 2015 as they look forward to face Telugu Titans in their second home game this season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
The defending champions of the Pro Kabaddi are languishing at the second-bottom position in the table, something nobody quite expected. But in kabaddi, nothing should come as a surprise.
The Pink Panthers were deemed as favourites going into the game against the Patna Pirates in their home turf on Sunday, but some brilliant display from Sandeep Narwal and Rakesh Kumar from the Patna side guided the Pirates to a 29-23 victory over the hosts.
Without a win this season, and three losses on the trot, the Jaipur side have some real work cut out for them to get back into the game, and the upcoming three home games will be crucial as to how their campaign pans out in the Pro Kabaddi 2015.
Jaipur had beaten the Patna side thrice last year, and it obvious that the Pirates would seek to avenge their defeat. They did and in the process, notched up their first win of the lucrative kabaddi league this year.
The match was closely fought as the score was locked 20-20 until the 36th minute.
Jasvir Singh, who remained the only bright spot for the Jaipur side until then, was dismissed late in the game owing to an unsuccessful raid, and this gave Rakesh a new life. The Patna skipper quashed hopes of the home fans after he successfully conducted four raids.
Telugu Titans, on the other hand, go into the game with confidence, as they are currently placed second, after three wins and a solitary loss. Their narrow, one-point loss against leaders U Mumba yesterday will however haunt them.
Star raider Anup Kumar remained the hero of the match for the Mumbai side once again on Sunday, as the leaders defeated the Titans 26-25. However, take nothing away from the hard fight the Hyderabad side put up.
Deepak Hudda lived up to his reputation once again as he gave an impressive display for the Titans on the day to take the match to a thrilling finish. But luck was with the leaders on the day as Shabeer Bapu conducted one more of his superb raids to seal the game in Mumbai's favour.
Both Jaipur and Telugu have lost their respective games by a margin of less than seven points this year, signifying they have received a point each. While Titans do look the favourites going into the game, expect nothing but a spirited fightback from the Pink Panthers.
The match gets underway at 9 pm IST (4:30pm BST).
Previous meeting - 9 August, 2014: Telugu Titans 29 - 49 Jaipur Pink Panthers
Where to Watch Live:
Pro Kabaddi League: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Telugu Titans, can be caught LIVE on Star Sports.
Hindi Coverage - Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD 3, Star Gold
English Coverage - Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD 2
Telugu Coverage - Maa Movies
Kannada Coverage - Suvarna Plus
Marathi Coverage - Star Pravah (Sunday Matches only)
UK viewers can catch the action on Life OK
Live streaming will be available on Hotstar and starsports online
