Tuesday ushers in the third Inter Zone Challenge Week of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5, where teams from Zone A and Zone B will play against one another. The evening kicks off with the mighty Gujarat Fortunegiants taking on an inspired Tamil Thalaivas side for the first time this season, while the second match sees hosts Dabang Delhi K.C. entertaining the rampaging Patna Pirates at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex. 

Match 94: Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Tamil Thalaivas

A win will again take Gujarat Fortunegiants to the summit of Zone A. Currently placed second with 56 points, Gujarat enter the match on the back of two thumping wins against U Mumba. The spotlight will be on star raider Sachin and young Chandran Ranjit, who surprised one and all with a brilliant performance in Gujarat’s last match. The defence looks safely fortified between the brilliance of Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani. Gujarat will definitely fancy themselves against Tamil Thalaivas. 

Sunday’s upset win over Bengal Warriors, however, will give the Thalaivas a lot of confidence. Ajay Thakur has been the main man for the southerners this season and he will look to replicate his performance against Bengal. Defender C. Arun is another player who is likely to give Gujarat some trouble. Presently bottom-placed in Zone B, the Thalaivas need to string a few wins from here to have a real shot at the play-offs. 

Match 95: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Patna Pirates

Head-to-head: Dabang Delhi K.C. 2-5 Patna Pirates. 1 tie 

Dabang Delhi K.C. have managed only 30 points from 15 matches and their play-off chances are in dire straits. Having lost five consecutive matches, Delhi have a mountain to climb against Patna. The defence has looked fragile even after the return of Nilesh Shinde and with Patna’s lethal attack in front, they will have to play out of their skin. Raiding has been a problem too with the Meraj Sheykh-led attack not doing enough. In short, Delhi need to make massive improvement to overcome the Pirates. 

Meanwhile, Patna will look to strengthen their position at the top of Zone B. Pardeep Narwal and Monu Goyat have been unstoppable and will look to pile on the agony for the Delhi defence. Patna’s defenders, however, have not been as effective as their raiders and this weakness could very well be exploited by Delhi. Be that as it may, the Pirates go into the match as the red-hot favourites. 

Catch the action from Delhi on the Star Sports network and hotstar from 7.30 pm onwards.