Haryana Steelers and Tamil Thalaivas battle seeking first win over each other

Super Sunday in the Patna leg will kick off with an enticing fixture when Haryana Steelers will lock horns against Tamil Thalaivas at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium. The two teams have identical records through three fixtures this season and are in the hunt for their second win of the campaign. This fixture has the unique distinction of being the only one where neither team has a single win or loss over the other. They have met thrice over the past two campaigns and each game has finished in a tie. 

Match 25: Haryana Steelers vs. Tamil Thalaivas

Head-to-head: Haryana Steelers 0-0 Tamil Thalaivas. Three ties.

Haryana Steelers

Form guide:

Played: 3

Won: 1

Tied: 0

Lost: 2

Win rate: 33.33%

Best Raider: Naveen

Best Defender: Sunil

After an impressive win over Puneri Paltan in their opening fixture, Haryana Steelers slipped to two losses on the trot against Bengal Warriors and Jaipur Pink Panthers. Despite the team’s form, raider Naveen has held his own and scored 24 raid points at a good average of eight raid points per game. Rookie raider Vinay, who scored six raid points in just nine attempts against Jaipur Pink Panthers, has been making steady progress and is growing in confidence with every passing game. In defence, Right Cover Sunil impressed in his maiden appearances this season, picking up six tackle points against the in-form Jaipur Pink Panthers in Haryana Steelers’ previous encounter. While their other big names in defence like Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Kuldeep Singh are yet to fire, the team does boast of a good balance overall and could trouble any team on their day.

Tamil Thalaivas

Form guide:

Played: 3

Won: 1

Tied: 0

Lost: 2

Win rate: 33.33%

Best Raider: Rahul Chaudhari

Best Defender: Manjeet Chhillar

After a highly impressive all-round display against Telugu Titans in the Southern Derby, Tamil Thalaivas found themselves on the wrong end of two close finishes in their two subsequent encounters, with their margin of defeat being just a solitary point both times. However, Tamil Thalaivas have played some extremely efficient kabaddi so far this season, especially their defence, which ranks joint-third amongst the highest scoring defensive units in the league. Led by veteran Manjeet Chhillar, Tamil Thalaivas’ defence averages 12 tackle points a game while conceding an average of 11.66 raid points, the lowest in the league. Chhillar himself has been in terrific form, averaging five tackle points a game this season, bettered only by Haryana Steelers’ Sunil and Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Sandeep Dhull. With their raiding arsenal boasting of two of the most prolific raiders in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history in 'Showman' Rahul Chaudhari and 'Iceman' Ajay Thakur, Tamil Thalaivas are a force to be reckoned with.