Naveen Kumar and Dabang Delhi to commence campaign against Rahul Chaudhari and Puneri Paltan

Day 2 of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8 will serve three tantalizing contests for fans to feast upon.

The Gujarat Giants and Jaipur Pink Panthers will open proceedings, while Season 7’s runners-up Dabang Delhi K.C. will commence their campaign against the Puneri Paltan. The Haryana Steelers and Patna Pirates will go head-to-head in the day’s final game.

Check out our preview for all three matches:

Match 4: Gujarat Giants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers

The Gujarat Giants missed the vivo PKL playoffs for the first time in franchise history in Season 7, and they will aim to correct that in this season. The team retained franchise stalwarts Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar and added experienced corners Girish Ernak and Ravinder Pahal to form a solid defensive core. The Giants’ raiding unit has a good mix of youth and experience, and the roster has a fascinating look. 

While the Giants retained their stellar cover duo, the Jaipur Pink Panthers brought back their outstanding corner crop of Sandeep Dhull and Amit Hooda. Superstar Deepak Niwas Hooda will lead the franchise for a second year running, while veteran defender Dharmaraj Cheralathan will bring his experience and leadership to an otherwise young roster. 

Gujarat Giants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers head-to-head record 

The Giants and Panthers have battled eight times in the PKL. Gujarat has won five games, while Jaipur has registered a couple of wins. One game finished in a tie.

Match 5: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs. Puneri Paltan

Last year’s league stage toppers and beaten finalists Dabang Delhi K.C. will aim to go one better in vivo PKL season 8. Naveen Kumar will continue to lead the team’s charge by example, but he’ll have plenty of support from some of the greatest names ever to grace the sport. Naveen will raid alongside the icon Ajay Thakur and will have Manjeet Chhillar, captain Joginder Narwal and Jeeva Kumar marshalling the defence.

Puneri Paltan boasts some superstars too. Rahul Chaudhari, Nitin Tomar, Pawan Kumar and Pankaj Mohite form a four-pronged raiding unit that can take the game away from the opponents on their own. On defence, they have Baldev Singh and Vishal Bhardwaj, two of the finest corners in the game. The Paltan have a strong roster that can go deep in vivo PKL season 8.

Dabang Delhi K.C. vs. Puneri Paltan head-to-head record

The Puneri Paltan have beaten Dabang Delhi eight times in vivo PKL, while the team from the capital have registered seven wins against the Paltan. The two teams played out a tie once. 

Match 6: Haryana Steelers vs Patna Pirates

The Haryana Steelers have built a balanced roster that boasts excellent players on offence and defence. Their raiding trio of Vikash Khandola, Rohit Gulia and Vinay form a versatile unit, with each player deploying a different but effective raiding style. Surender Nada, Rajesh Narwal and Ravi bring experience and grit to the team. A fine roster with no glaring holes.

The Patna Pirates will be without Pardeep Narwal for the first time since vivo PKL Season 2, but they still have one of the most desirable raiding units in the league. Captain Prashanth Rai, Sachin and Monu Goyat have all played significant roles on championship-calibre rosters. Their experience and ability will be critical to Patna’s success this season. The team has a plethora of young talents on defence and only time will tell how these new faces will cope on the biggest stage.

Haryana Steelers vs Patna Pirates head-to-head record

Through five matches, the Patna Pirates hold a 3-1 lead in the all-time head-to-head against the Haryana Steelers. The two teams shared the spoils once. 

 vivo PKL schedule for Thursday, December 23rd, 2021

Gujarat Giants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers, 7:30 PM IST

Dabang Delhi K.C. vs. Puneri Paltan, 8:30 PM IST

Haryana Steelers vs Patna Pirates, 9:30 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.

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