Haryana Steelers look to bounce back against resurgent Patna Pirates

Patna Pirates will be looking to stretch their current four-match unbeaten streak in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7 when they face Haryana Steelers at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday. The three-time champions will also want to set the record straight after losing to Haryana Steelers in their previous encounter of the campaign. Haryana Steelers, meanwhile, will be hoping to return to winnings ways after their seven-match unbeaten run was snapped in their last game.

Match 104: Patna Pirates vs Haryana Steelers

Head-to-head: Patna Pirates 1 – 2 Haryana Steelers. 1 Tie.

Patna Pirates

Form guide:

Played: 17

Won: 6

Tied: 1

Lost: 10

Win rate: 35.29%

Best Raider: Pardeep Narwal

Best Defender: Neeraj Kumar

Patna Pirates seem to have found form in the final stretch of the playoff race and are unbeaten in their last four games. Two of those matches saw them register convincing wins, scoring more than 50 points on both occasions. Needless to say, 'Record-Breaker' Pardeep Narwal has been at the epicentre of their midseason revival and he will once again have a huge role to play on Monday. He’s currently second on the leaderboard for most raid points this season and will want to lead by example against Haryana Steelers, while also hoping for some support in attack from the likes of Mohammad Maghsoudlou and Jang Kun Lee. As far as their defence goes, Neeraj Kumar – whose 11 tackle points against Puneri Paltan are still fresh in the mind – will be the main obstacle for Haryana Steelers’ raiders. Patna Pirates will also expect solid performances from Jaideep and Hadi Oshtorak, both of whom are proven matchwinners in defence.

Haryana Steelers

Form guide:

Played: 16

Won: 10

Tied: 1

Lost: 5

Win rate: 62.50%

Best Raider: Vikash Kandola

Best Defender: Sunil

Haryana Steelers will be raring to return to the mat and put their loss to Bengal Warriors last time around behind them at the earliest. They are currently third in the standings and have their sights set on a semis spot with six league stage matches and their home leg yet to come. Monday’s contest against Patna Pirates could be a perfect game for them to get back to winning ways and they will take confidence from the fact that they have already beaten the three-time champions once this campaign. Beating Patna Pirates twice won’t be easy though and will require ace raider Vikash Kandola to be on top of his game. Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vinay, who was impressive in their last match, will also need to play supporting roles in attack to ease the pressure off Kandola. Their defence is filled with an abundance of quality options in Vikas Kale, Ravi Kumar, Sunil and Chand Singh, to name a few. Skipper Dharmaraj Cheralathan’s experience and leadership though seems to be what’s most important to their defence as was evident during his absence in their last encounter.

Watch vivo Pro Kabaddi matches Patna Pirates vs Haryana Steelers and Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Bengaluru Bulls today live on Star Sports and streaming on Hotstar. Time: 7:00 PM onwards.