Shootout for top spot in Zone B as Bengaluru Bulls host Patna Pirates

Fans at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune will be treated to a grand spectacle when Zone B toppers Bengaluru Bulls take on reigning champions Patna Pirates on Sunday. A victory for either side will be huge in their quest for the top spot in Zone B, making this fixture a tantalizing prospect for kabaddi fans.

The two sides met earlier in the season where Bengaluru Bulls came out on top by a scoreline of 43-41, largely thanks to Pawan Kumar Sehrawat’s incredible 15-point performance. Since that defeat, Patna Pirates have won all their fixtures, helping them close down the gap on Bengaluru Bulls to just 8 points.

Match 82(Zone B): Bengaluru Bulls vs. Patna Pirates

Head-to-head: Patna Pirates 9-3 Bengaluru Bulls. 1 tie.

Form Guide:

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Raid Points – 35.2

Average Tackle Points – 28.8

Best Raider- Pawan Kumar Sehrawat

Best Defender – Mahender Singh

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Points Scored – 40.6

Average Points Conceded – 32.4

Best Raider – Pardeep Narwal

Best Defender – Jaideep

The big battle –

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat vs. Pardeep Narwal

A huge sub-plot of this massive collision between Bengaluru Bulls and Patna Pirates is the battle between two of Season 6’s best raiders, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat and reigning MVP Pardeep Narwal.

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat opened his campaign with a staggering 20-point performance against Tamil Thalaivas in Bengaluru Bulls’ first match this season and has since delivered consistently for his side. He currently sits in second place in the race for Best Raider and could become the second player to hit the 150 raid points mark in Season 6 with 11 raid points against Patna Pirates.

On the other side, Pardeep Narwal has been at his destructive best in Season 6 and is currently third in the race for Best Raider. He ranks second this season in average raid points with 11.25 and leads the season’s Super 10 tally with nine to his name. This marks the fourth straight campaign that Narwal has reached 100 Raid Points, becoming the only man to achieve that feat in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history.

Patna Pirates and Bengaluru Bulls rank second and third, respectively, in average points scored in Season 6 and rely heavily on their offence, especially their star raiders - Narwal and Sehrawat, to deliver the goods for the team. This fixture promises to be a high-scoring affair and the duel between Narwal and Sehrawat is expected to take centre stage.

Key Khiladi -

Rohit Kumar – Bengaluru Bulls

Bengaluru Bulls’ captain Rohit Kumar continued his outstanding work for his side, scoring nine raid points against Bengal Warriors and following that up with a 10 raid point performance against Tamil Thalaivas last night. With Patna Pirates averaging just over 40 points in their last five encounters, the onus will be on Bengaluru Bulls’ offence, especially Sehrawat and Kumar, to match them point-for-point and raid-for-raid, if they are to beat the reigning champions for the second time this campaign.

Jaideep – Patna Pirates

Second seasons are seldom as great as the one Patna Pirates’ Left Corner Jaideep has enjoyed so far in Season 6. He leads his team and ranks sixth in the season in tackle points with 43, and has established himself as one of the premier young defenders in VIVO Pro Kabaddi. Jaideep managed three tackle points in his side’s narrow defeat to Bengaluru Bulls earlier in the campaign and Patna Pirates will be hopeful that their outstanding Left Corner will be able to replicate, if not better, that performance and limit the impact of Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar.