Warriors and Steelers eye topping their respective zones

Bengal Warriors and Haryana Steelers will fancy themselves when they play Tamil Thalaivas and home side Dabang Delhi K.C. respectively at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex on Sunday. Both Warriors and Steelers need at least a tie to displace double defending champions Patna Pirates and Gujarat Fortunegiants from the summit of Zone B and Zone A respectively. Here is how the teams stack up against each other.

Match 92 (Zone B): Bengal Warriors vs Tamil Thalaivas

Head-to-head: Bengal Warriors 1-0 Tamil Thalaivas

Bengal Warriors enter Sunday’s match as the clear favourites having been unbeaten in their last four matches. The raiding force is one of the most lethal in the league with Maninder Singh, Deepak Narwal and Jang Kun Lee wreaking havoc on opponent defences at will. Meanwhile, captain Surjeet Singh and Ran Singh have ensured that the defence has a settled look. With a struggling and unsettled side awaiting them, the Warriors just need to stick to their strategy and play their regular game.

Tamil Thalaivas’ debut season has been off to a disappointing start. Zone B’s bottom-placed team has managed to secure only 2 wins from their 11 matches. They have collected only 22 points but they have played far fewer matches than their zone counterparts. Captain Ajay Thakur has been the main man for the southerners and at times the only fighter in the squad. K. Prapanjan has also been good in attack, while the defence has Amit Hooda pulling the reins. With a formidable raiding unit in Bengal looming large, the Thalaivas now desperately need a turn of fortunes for a shot at the play-offs.

Match 93 (Zone A): Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Haryana Steelers

Head-to-head: Dabang Delhi K.C. 0-2 Haryana Steelers

Dabang Delhi K.C.’s home leg has been off to a poor start with two straight losses. A disappointing start to Season 5 has kept the team languishing at the bottom of Zone A with only 30 points. A win today is of high importance for the team if they want to continue nurturing hopes of a play-off berth, and against the Steelers, Delhi need Meraj Sheykh and Abolfazl Maghsodlou to fire on all cylinders. Nilesh Shinde is back from injury and a lot also rests on how he performs.

Meanwhile, Haryana will be high on confidence after winning their last encounter, and with the return of the star defending duo of Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar in the starting lineup from a much-needed break. The defence has looked rock solid in their presence, while Wazir and Surjeet Singh have ably handled the raiding reins. They enter the match as firm favourites and just need to play their natural game to overcome the Delhi hurdle.

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