Puneri Paltan made a favourable start to their home leg of the Pro Kabaddi League 2015, and they will be looking at building on that momentum as they entertain leaders U Mumba at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune.
The home side rode on the performances of Jitesh Joshi and Sanjay Kumar as they eked out a closely-fought 33-28 victory over Dabang Delhi in their Pro Kabaddi League match on Sunday. While Joshi picked up seven points, Sanjay notched six, including a bonus, to help their side get the win.
The performance of Ravi Kumar in the defence was also instrumental on the day.
The five points fromt the victory for the Puneri Paltan do not change their fortunes in the competition, unfortunately. They are still the rockbottom side with three games to go this season, and a chance to make it to the playoffs were gone long back.
Their opponents, U Mumba, however, have taken a commanding position in the top of the table, and they will want to add a few more to their kitty with a win against the Puneri Paltan.
With two more games to go in the league, the Mumbai side are currently on 55 points. They will finish top of the league at the end of the regular matches, and a semifinal clash with either Jaipur Pink Panthers or the Patna Pirates is in the offing.
Rishank Devadiga shone for U Mumba in their last game against the Pirates on 15 August in Bengaluru. Mumbai got the 32-27 win against the Patna outfit, and the inspirational captaincy of Anup Kumar once again came to the fore.
With the presence of star players like Mohit Chhillar and Shabeer Bapu in the Mumbai roster, Puneri Paltan have to give a big fight to get a favourable result today. The performance of Pune captain Wazir Singh will be vital.
The highest that Pune can finish this year can be the fifth position, and that too, provided they win all their remaining three games at home.
The match between Puneri Paltan and U Mumba will begin at 8 pm IST (3:30 pm BST).
Previous meeting - 21 July, 2015: U Mumba 28 - 21 Puneri Paltan
Where to Watch Live:
Pro Kabaddi League: Puneri Paltan vs U Mumba 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
UK viewers can catch the action on Life OK
Live streaming will be available on Hotstar and Starsports.com