We thought that the Telugu Titans played very well in their last match against the Gujarat Fortunegiants. They went into the halftime with a 5 point deficit and then came out all guns blazing. They actually ended up taking a lead and then made the crucial error of hanging back.
As soon as the Telugu Titans stopped attacking, they allowed the opposition a way back and eventually fell short. Perhaps the idea was that defense is their strong point and players like Vishal Bhardwaj and Abozar Mohajermighani could have absorbed the pressure.
The way that the Pro Kabaddi League is formatted and the manner in which teams have played, it is very difficult to defend a small lead and that is why we think the Telugu Titans missed a trick.
Rahul Chaudhari played a decent match for the Telugu Titans in his last outing. He is not at his best right now and failed to deliver when the pressure was really on but he did go through a phase in the middle where he was very good.
Playing in front of the home crowd seemed to have given the Telugu Titans a lot of energy and that is something they will feed off as well.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers do not have much to play for in terms of achieving something from this season of the PKL. All of the players are, however, professionals and would love to salvage something towards the end of the season.
There are a few bright spots for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the Pro Kabaddi League this season and their two young raiders have to be among them. Deepak Niwas Hooda and Ajinkya have shown some real form and talent on the mat. They have taken over from Anup Kumar, an experienced raider who is now arriving towards the end of career we think.
The challenge to the strong Telugu Titans defense will have to come from Hooda and Ajinkya while Mohit Chillar will be tasked with keeping Rahul Chaudhari and the other Titans raiders quiet. Sandeep Kumar Dhull and Nitin Rawal are also good defenders that will play a vital role in this match.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers are not a weak side and have lost some close matches. Their results this season are a reflection of some poor tactics and the changing nature of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Both sides are in poor current form. The Telugu Titans have lost their last five matches while the Jaipur Pink Panthers have also won just one of their last six matches.
The Telugu Titans do tend to play better at home, though.
The Telugu Titans have more reason to be fired about this contest. They are still in with a shout of making the Super Playoffs and love playing at home. They lost a very close contest in their opening match of the home leg but we think they should be able to do the job this time around.
Back the Telugu Titans to win.