U.P. Yoddha and Puneri Paltan aim to continue recent resurgence in form

Beat the Monday blues by feasting on two fascinating vivo Pro Kabaddi fixtures.

The resurgent Puneri Paltan will take on Pardeep Narwal and U.P. Yoddha in the opener. In the second game, defending champions Bengal Warriors will be in action against the Telugu Titans.

Check out our preview for both matches:

Match 60: Puneri Paltan vs U.P. Yoddha

The Puneri Paltan have enjoyed a good run of results recently. They have won three of their last four matches and are closing the gap on the teams in playoff spots. Youngsters Aslam Inamdar and Abinesh Nadarajan have been the team’s lynchpin on offence and defence, respectively. The return of Nitin Tomar has also been a massive boost for the Paltan. Coach Anup Kumar has found the right personnel, and the team is finally picking up form, but they still have plenty of ground to cover and cannot afford any more slip-ups.

After losing four of their first seven matches, U.P. Yoddha have turned their season around with two wins and a tie in their last three matches. Raiding trio Pardeep Narwal, Shrikant Jadhav and Surender Gill have been in good form of late, while corners Nitesh Kumar and Sumit have also found their groove. U.P. Yoddha still need fine-tuning, but they are headed in the right direction. They can jump to fourth on the points table with a win or a tie against the Puneri Paltan and will likely not settle for anything less.    

Puneri Paltan vs U.P. Yoddha head-to-head

U.P. Yoddha hold a slender 3-2 lead in their head-to-head battles against the Puneri Paltan.

Match 61: Telugu Titans vs Bengal Warriors

The Titans have been competitive in almost every game they’ve played this season but are yet to register a win. Outside of young raiders, Ankit Beniwal and Rajnish, who have shone in Baabubali Siddharth Desai’s absence, the performances of the rest of the players have left a lot to be desired. Rohit Kumar has scored five raid points in six matches, a horrid return from one of the best raiders ever to grace the sport. The Titans are drifting further and further away from playoff contention and need a swift turn in fortunes to stand any chance of sneaking into one of the playoff spots.

After a terrible run of results that saw them lose five out of six matches, the Bengal Warriors have managed to string together a run of two games without defeat. Skipper Maninder Singh has put the team on his back and led by example during the Warriors’ recent resurgence. He has scored 29 points in his last two matches, bumping his season average to 12.9 points per game. But outside of Maninder, it has been slim pickings for the Warriors. Mohammad Nabibakhsh hasn’t been as impactful as he was earlier in the season, while other seasoned veterans like Abozar Mighani and Sukesh Hegde have also struggled to impress. The Warriors need someone other than Maninder to start making a difference on the mat if they want to retain their crown.

Telugu Titans vs Bengal Warriors head-to-head

The Bengal Warriors have won nine and lost only three of their 16 matches against the Telugu Titans. The teams have shared the spoils on four occasions.

PKL Schedule for Monday, January 17

Match 60: Puneri Paltan vs U.P. Yoddha, 7:30 PM IST

Match 61: Telugu Titans vs Bengal Warriors, 8:30 PM IST

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi live?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar!