Bengal Warriors are slowly turning out to be the giant-killers of Pro Kabaddi League 2016. After defeating the likes of Telugu Titans, Bengaluru Bulls and Puneri Paltan already this year, the Nilesh Shinde-led side take on rockbottom side Dabang Delhi on Monday at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Three wins from three matches for the Warriors this season already, and Bengal are showing no sign of backing down. Bengal Warriors may not have had good seasons the last couple of years, but this time, they are looking more threatening with every passing game.
Having said that, the Kolkata side have a history of players succumbing to midseason injuries, which ultimately sees their performance at the later stages fall. Bengal Warriors roped in a second physio for the team this around, and it remains to be seen how effective that will be, as the competition progresses.
The Warriors started their home matches this season on a good note as they got past Puneri Paltan in their previous fixture. Star raider Nitin Tomar earned as many as 11 points in the game, and defenders Bajirao Hodage and Mahesh Goud earned four tackle points each.
The pressure is on Dabang Delhi, who have lost five on the trot this season. Dabang Delhi suffered a narrow defeat against Jaipur Pink Panthers on Sunday, and the only postivie for them has been that the margin of defeats are gradually decreasing.
Dabang Delhi skipper Kashling Adake, Ravinder Pahal, Surjeet Singh and Sandeep Dhull starred in the narrow defeat to the Pink Panthers, and if they keep improving, it won't be too long before Delhi finally get their first win of the season.
Squads: Bengal Warriors – Nilesh Shinde (C), Felix Odhiambo Opnana, Jang Kun Lee, Kedar Lal, Mahendra Rajput, Mahesh Goud, Nitin Madane, Shrikant Jadhav, Umesh Mhatre, Vineet Sharma, Vijin, Nitin More, Bajirao Hodage, Chaminda, Deepak Dhull, Shyam Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Girish Ernak, Dinesh Kumar, Krushna Madane, Narendar Kumar.
Dabang Delhi – , Kashiling Adake (C), Ravinder Pahal, Anil Nimbolkar, Jay Bohara, Lo Chia Wei, Mukesh Jaglan, Pravin Niwale, Rohit Choudhary, Selvamani K, Wazir Singh, Navjot Singh, R Subramanium, Gnanasekaran M, Seong Kim, GS Manikandan, Rakesh Kumar, Sushil Bhosale, Amit Chillar, Kuldeep Singh, Ravinandan, Sandeep Dhull.
Where to watch live:
The match between Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi will begin at 9 pm IST (3:30 pm GMT) on Monday, 8 February.
Pro Kabaddi League 2016: Bengal Warriors vs Dabang Delhi can be caught LIVE on the Star Sports Network.
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
