Puneri Paltan vs Bengal Warriors, Pro Kabaddi (PKL), Today Match Prediction

punp vs bw Match Prediction & Analysis

Puneri Paltan lock horns against Bengal Warriors in match 73 of Pro Kabbadi League (PKL) Season 11 on Sunday, 24th November 2024. The match is scheduled to be played at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Noida Indoor Stadium in Noida. 

Puneri Paltan are coming off a 29-29 last-minute tie against the UP Yoddhas in their last match. On the other hand, Bengal Warriors are coming off a 29-31 cliffhanger of a loss against the Telugu Titans in their last match. The Paltan currently stand 5th in the PKL points table with 37 points in 11 matches (5 wins, 3 losses, and 3 ties). Bengal Warriors currently stand 10th with 24 points in 11 matches (3 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties).

Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan have a storied rivalry in Pro Kabaddi, having faced each other 21 times. Puneri Paltan holds a slight edge with 11 wins, while Bengal Warriors have secured 8 victories. Two matches between the two teams have ended in draws. When both teams clashed earlier this season, the match ended in a 32-32 tie. The Puneri Paltan are on a five-match unbeaten run against the Warriors (4 wins and 1 tie), and the average total match score in these games is 61.8. Most of the games these teams have played in recent seasons have been low-scoring and where the pace of the game is typically slow.

Puneri Paltan vs Bengal Warriors Over/Under Predictions

TEAMS PREVIEW

Puneri Paltan Preview

Puneri Paltan are coming off a 29-29 closely contested tie against the UP Yoddhas in their last game. In this game, the Paltan's defense was heavily tested, especially with a change in the left corner where Mohit Khaler replaced Aman, and he made full use of this opportunity, scoring 4 tackle points. Interestingly, coach BC Ramesh didn't play Mohit Goyat in the starting lineup, nor did he feature in the substitutes list. In the absence of Mohit and with Akash Shinde struggling, it was the captain of the side, Pankaj Mohite, who stepped up with 8 raid points and 1 tackle point. 

To his aid was left raider V Ajit Kumar, who scored 5 raid points. Gaurav Khatri, with three tackle points, had another good outing. Vaibhav Kamble, who got a start ahead of Sanket Sawant, didn't make use of his opportunity as he finished with zero tackle points, and one of the key defenders for the Paltan's, Abinesh Nadarajan, also struggled, finishing with one tackle point.

The Paltan's now shift their focus to an out-of-form Bengal Warriors squad who have struggled to get wins under their belt. The case has been the same for Puneri in their recent outings, where they have looked indecisive with their decisions, and having won only one of their last five games, the pressure is equally mounting on Puneri. Since Aslam Inamdar's injury, the Paltan side has struggled to get points from their third raider. Mohit Goyat's injury status is yet to be known. With their raiding unit struggling, the onus is on their defense, especially both their corner defenders and covers, to come good.

The Paltan this season, on average, scores 35 points and concedes 29.18 points per game. Their raiding unit is averaging 17.09 raid points per game, ranked 11th, and their defense is averaging 12.45 tackle points per game, the second-best in the season. Pankaj Mohite, with 50 raid points, and Gaurav Khatri, with 43 tackle points, are the top performers for the Paltan's. 

Puneri Paltan Probable Starting 7 - Pankaj Mohite, Akash Shinde, V Ajith Kumar, Sanket Sawant, Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri, Mohit Khaler 

Puneri Paltan Over/Under Predictions

Bengal Warriors Preview

Bengal Warriors are coming off another close loss, this time against the Telugu Titans by two points, with the final scoreline being 29-31. The Warriors' season, after a good start, has fallen apart drastically, where they haven't looked at their best in both the raiding and defending units. Maninder Singh hasn't featured in the last two games, and he hasn't been at his best when he has played, losing his speed and agility and being found wanting by the opponent defenders this season. Against the Titans, it was once again a tactical brain fade that cost them the game. 

Despite having an explosive raider in the form of Sushil Kumar, their coach didn't use him earlier in the game, and in the little time he played, he scored three raid points. But the talking point of this game is the failure of Fazel Atrachali, the defender, where he finished the game with zero tackle points and only made two tackle attempts, both of them unsuccessful. In the raiding department, Nitin Dhankar, for the first time in the last five games, failed to score a minimum of four points. 

Pranay Rane made full use of the given opportunity and scored 9 raid points, all of them being touch points. Vishwas, with four raid points (2 touch & 2 bonus), has also been relatively good. The major issue for the Warriors this season has been their defense, especially the cover defenders, who have been the weak link, gifting points to the opponent raiders, not capitalizing on do-or-die raids, and allowing the opponent raiders easy bonus points.

Moving forward, Bengal now has to win 9 of their 11 matches, and they have to win by big margins. If the Warriors can alter their defense and take a more aggressive approach, where they look to get in more touch points and reduce their unsuccessful tackle percentage, which is 64.8%, if they can improve on their tackle efficiency in the upcoming game and pin down the Paltan raiders, then Bengal might have a better chance of winning this game.

The Warriors this season, on average, score 32.54 points and concede 37 points per game. Their raiding unit is averaging 19.82 raid points per game, the fifth-best this season, and their defense is averaging 9.73 tackle points per game, the worst this season, ranked 12th. Nitin Dhankar, with 93 raid points, and Fazel Atrachali, with 31 tackle points, are the top performers for the Warriors in the season so far.

Bengal Warriors Probable Starting 7 - Nitin Kumar Dhankar, Pranay Rane, Hem Raj, Vaibhav Garje, Fazel Atrachali, Manjeet, Vishwas S