Patna Pirates continue quest for maiden home leg victory against Haryana Steelers

Patna Pirates' penultimate home leg fixture sees them host Haryana Steelers at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium in Patna on Wednesday. The three-time champions are still in the hunt for the first win of their home leg, while Haryana Steelers will be hoping for their first win after the first game of their season.

Match 30: Patna Pirates vs Haryana Steelers

Head-to-head: Patna Pirates 1-1 Haryana Steelers. 1 tie.

Patna Pirates

Form guide

Played: 5

Won: 2

Tied: 0

Lost: 3

Win rate: 40%

Best Raider: Pardeep Narwal

Best Defender: Jaideep

After back-to-back wins against Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas, Patna Pirates had a difficult start to their home leg, losing against Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan. However, skipper Pardeep Narwal continued to remain the lynchpin of his side and scored 15 points over those two matches. In defence, Left Corner Jaideep has been in terrific form, averaging an impressive 3.8 tackle points per game so far this season. Given that Haryana Steelers boast of a potent and versatile raiding duo in Vikash Kandola and Naveen, Jaideep as well as the rest of the defence will have to be on their toes if they are to come out victorious against that side. 

Haryana Steelers

Form guide

Played: 4

Won: 1

Tied: 0

Lost: 3

Win rate: 25%

Best Raider: Naveen 

Best Defender: Dharmaraj Cheralathan

Haryana Steelers slipped to their third successive defeat against Tamil Thalaivas but were handed a major boost by the return of star raider Vikash Kandola. The raider scored eight points in his maiden appearance in Season 7 and was amply supported by Naveen and Vinay, who combined to score nine points. Skipper Dharmaraj Cheralathan, too, managed a season-high three tackle points while Cover defenders Sunil and Vikas Kale combined for five tackle points. Things seem to be falling in place for coach Rakesh Kumar and, if Haryana Steelers find some rhythm, they could be a team to be wary off going forward.