Steelers eye topping Zone A on the penultimate day of Haryana leg

Tuesday witnessed two exciting matches as Bengal Warriors and hosts Haryana Steelers emerged victorious against Telugu Titans and Dabang Delhi K.C respectively, and keeping in with the theme so far this season, Wednesday appears to have two more entertaining encounters in store at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Sonepat. The first match of the evening has U.P. Yoddha clashing swords with the struggling Tamil Thalaivas, while the second features Haryana Steelers taking on Puneri Paltan for the very first time. Here’s the lowdown on today’s matches. 

Match 75 (Zone B): Tamil Thalaivas vs U.P. Yoddha

Head-to-head: 1 tie 

Tamil Thalaivas are yet to pull themselves away from the bottom of Zone B, having managed just 16 points from 9 matches. With only a sole win in their bag, the Ajay Thakur-led outfit really needs to up its game and win a few straight matches to make a strong case for the play-offs. Facing a solid U.P. Yoddha raiding unit, the Amit Hooda-led defence needs to assert its dominance. K. Prapanjan has been looking in good form for the southerners but a nasty injury he picked up in their last match against Bengal Warriors maybe a cause of worry for the Thalaivas. 

U.P. Yoddha have tied three of their last four matches and would enter the match as the favourites to pick up full points. Currently placed third in Zone B with 36 points from 13 matches, the Nitin Tomar-led outfit needs to hold its nerve to ensure it doesn’t give easy points away in the dying minutes under pressure. Tomar and Rishank Devadiga have been the stalwarts up front, while Jeeva Kumar has been rock solid in defence. Against a struggling Thalaivas team on Wednesday, the Yoddha have a good chance to convert their ties into a win. 

Match 76 (Zone A): Haryana Steelers vs Puneri Paltan

Haryana Steelers bounced back yesterday against Dabang Delhi K.C. to record their second home win, after suffering a heavy defeat against Telugu Titans on Sunday. They presently sit second in Zone A tied on 46 points with leaders Gujarat Fortunegiants. Known for the best corner defence in the business in the form of Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar, it is the raiding department that has shined for the Steelers recently with the likes of Wazir Singh, Deepak Kumar Dahiya and Prashanth Kumar Rai impressing one and all. 

Puneri Paltan went down to Bengaluru Bulls in their last match and currently sit fourth in Zone A with 32 points from 9 matches. The Paltan have caught the eye with their all-round solidity this season and they will look to move on from their defeat against the Bulls. Sandeep Narwal has been a solid presence holding both the defence and attack together. Captain Deepak Hooda and Rajesh Mondal have been the main raiders and the ones Haryana need to be wary of, while Dharamaraj Cheralathan and Girish Maruti Ernak’s defence combination is a difficult nut to crack for any attack. The stage is all set for a cracking encounter. 

Catch the matches live on the Star Sports network and hotstar from 7.30 pm onwards.