Resurgent Patna Pirates eye hat-trick of wins on their visit to Pune

The second match on Sunday will see home side Pune Paltan host three-time champions Patna Pirates at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge, Balewadi in Pune on Saturday. The two side are currently separated by four points on the table, with Puneri Paltan holding the edge, but Patna Pirates will be hoping to continue their recent upturn in results and score another victory in Pune.

Match 92: Puneri Paltan vs. Patna Pirates

Head-to-head: Patna Pirates 10–2 Puneri Paltan. 2 ties.

Puneri Paltan

Played: 15

Won: 5

Tied: 2

Lost: 8

Win Rate: 33.33%

Best Raider: Manjeet

Best Defender: Surjeet Singh

Puneri Paltan got their home leg up and running with an impressive display against Gujarat Fortunegiants which saw them close the gap on the top 6 to eight points. While the performance of the team as a whole was outstanding, coach Anup Kumar will be particularly pleased by the performance of the returning Nitin Tomar, who finished the game with a Super 10, his first of the season. With Pankaj Mohite and Manjeet already in a good nick, the return to form of Tomar wouldn’t have come at a better time for Puneri Paltan as they enter the final third of their league stage fixtures. Skipper Surjeet Singh, too, recorded a High 5 against Gujarat Fortunegiants and was ably supported by Balasaheb Jadhav, who also scored five tackle points on the night. A victory against Patna Pirates will help Puneri Paltan put pressure on those above them in the standings and with two more games to come over the next five days, Puneri Paltan could find themselves in the top 6 by the end of the week.

Patna Pirates

Played: 15

Won: 5

Tied: 0

Lost: 10

Win Rate: 33.33%

Best Raider: Pardeep Narwal

Best Defender: Jaideep

After a dominant display against Tamil Thalaivas, Patna Pirates recorded back-to-back wins for only the second time this season when they beat Jaipur Pink Panthers in their last outing on Thursday. Skipper Pardeep Narwal has been in unbelievable form; scoring 40 raid points in his last two matches, and almost single-handedly propelling his side to victories. Raider Jang Kun Lee announced his return in style with an eight-point display against Jaipur Pink Panthers, scoring points in crucial junctures of the match and playing the complimentary role to Narwal to perfection. The defence, too, has had a couple of good outings with Jaideep scoring seven tackle points against Tamil Thalaivas and Neeraj Kumar managing six against Jaipur Pink Panthers. Things are finally falling in place for coach Ram Mehar Singh and if Patna Pirates continue their current form, they will be a force to be reckoned with, as proven in their title-winning campaigns.