responded would have made the Pune fans jump with joy. It had been clear from the start that Nitin Tomar will be perceived as Puneri Paltan’s main threat, as he should be. U Mumba tried to block his favored right side of the mat but Tomar showed how good he is by shifting his attacks to the other side.
He eventually ended with 13 raid points against one of the best defenses of the tournament.
Maruti Girish Ernak was similarly brilliant in defending against the U Mumba attack, a tough task as any. He marshaled his resources brilliantly and kept U Mumba to just over 30 points for the match.
If the pair of them can continue to lead from the front then support from youngsters like Monu and Ravi Kumar should be enough for the Puneri Paltan to register another victory at home.
The Bengaluru Bulls have been going a bit under the radar so far and have just played two matches. A convincing win, though, in both those matches against the Tamil Thalaivas would have had the position coaches looking a little closer.
This match against Puneri Paltan will be their first real test, no disrespect to the Tamil Thalaivas.
For the Bengaluru Bulls, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat has been fantastic in the points scoring department. He has 36 points to his name from just two games and will be the cutting edge of the Bulls offense against Puneri Paltan as well.
It is not like he is going to be short of support, either. Raider Kashling Adake has been very good for the Bengaluru Bulls while Ashish Kumar has been their defensive lynchpin.
The Bengaluru Bulls would have been happy to start with two wins but know that their tournament is beginning in earnest only now.
The Bengaluru Bulls hold a slight advantage over Puneri Paltan after 9 matches between the two sides. The Bulls have won 5 and lost 4 in Pro Kabaddi history against Puneri Paltan. This stat will give the Bengaluru Bulls confidence but home advantage will definitely even things out a bit for Puneri Paltan.
Puneri Paltan has won two matches on the trot and has built up some very good momentum. Playing day after day, though, can take its toll physically and so that will be a factor. We think Puneri Paltan will have enough in the tank for another win.
Back Puneri Paltan to win.