PKL 2021: Dabang Delhi, Gujarat Giants romp to wins, Patna Pirates seal thriller over Haryana on Day 2 – PKL Day 2 lived up to its billing with some blockbuster auction in Bengaluru on Thursday. Gujarat Giants started off with a fine win over the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Dabang Delhi followed it up with a fine win over the Puneri Paltan before the Patna Pirates sealed a nail-biting win over the Haryana Steelers. Follow all PKL 8 LIVE Updates on Insidesport.in
@7:30 PM: Gujarat Giants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers
@8:30 PM: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Puneri Paltan
@9:30 PM: Haryana Steelers vs Patna Pirates
The games will be played at the same venue in Bengaluru and will kick off one after the other. All matches can be watched live on the Star Sports Network or live streamed on the Disney+hotstar app.
Puneri Paltan vs Dabang Delhi KC in action, Gujarat Giants clinch 34-27 win vs Panthers – Follow LIVE Updates
@7:30 PM: Gujarat Giants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers
Both Jaipur Pink Panthers and Gujarat Giants will be looking to seal a statement victory in their first outing after a disappointing campaign in 2019. Despite making a strong start, Deepak Niwas Hooda’s men in pink fizzled out in the crucial stages of Season 7. But with Arjun Deshwal, a raider known for his ability to fetch points when there are 4 or 5 players on the mat, added to the attacking department, the Panthers will be quietly confident of a strong showing this time around.
But in their way will be one of the best defensive units of VIVO PKL Season 8 – Gujarat Giants have added Ravinder Pahal and Girish Ernak in the auctions to bolster a defence that already had the likes of Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal. The trio of Ravinder, Sunil and Parvesh play for the Railways (national), their teamwork and co-ordination will be key to Giants’ fortune after they lost their star raider Rohit Gulia to Haryana in the auctions.
PKL 2021 LIVE: Panthers to face Giants, three-time champions Patna also in action on Day 2 – Follow LIVE Updates
@8:30 PM: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Puneri Paltan
Dabang Delhi K.C. are arguably the team to watch out for this season. After topping the league in Season 7 and unravelling the future Kabaddi star in Naveen Kumar, Delhi went on to add stalwarts Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chhillar to their squad in the auctions. The team, once again captained by the experienced Joginder Narwal, also added Sandeep Narwal and Jeeva Kumar in the auctions to add steel to the defence.
But all eyes will be on Naveen Kumar who showed great mobility and innovation to clinch 22 Super 10s (10 points or more) in 23 matches in Season 7. Naveen has the makings of a complete raider – mixing speed and quick thinking with athleticism. From Hand Touch to Bonus Points, from Dubki to Back Kick, the raider has everything to be called a complete package.
Puneri Paltan had a difficult season 7 but the addition of Rahul Chaudhari, once considered the best raider in the league, will give them renewed hope. Rahul had an off-colour outing with the Tamil Thalaivas in Season 7, but the ‘showman’ raider will be confident under the guidance of coach and former Indian team captain Anup Kumar will help him get back to his best shape. It will be a match between the past and the present, but Rahul will be hoping he can emulate his Telugu Titans form which won him fans across the country.
PKL 2021 LIVE: Panthers to face Giants, three-time champions Patna also in action on Day 2 – Follow LIVE Updates
@9:30 PM: Haryana Steelers vs Patna Pirates
The third match of Day 2 promises to be a high scoring affair. Both Haryana Steelers, and Patna Pirates, despite losing Pardeep Narwal in the auctions, have set up raid-heavy teams for Season 8, which should make an exciting match for the audience.
The raiding duo of Vikash Khandola and Vinay impressed for the Steelers in Season 7, scoring more than 100 points. Patna will be hoping their raiding trio of Monu Goyat, Prashant Rai and Sachin will be able to offset the loss of Pardeep Narwal, especially with the three-time champions lacking a strong defensive leader. Captain Prashant Kumar Rai was bullish of his team’s chances of making it to the PKL final but they will face a strong test against the Steelers on Day 2 of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Season 8.
