Powerful Pirates ‘Le Panga’ with dangerous Dabang

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The two best teams in the league stage — Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi — will face each other in the summit clash of Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 here on Friday.

The gruelling 136-match-long battle has undoubtedly been one of the most competitive seasons in PKL history. Patna showed their superiority in the semi-final against UP Yoddha with their defence completely nullifying the raiding duo of Pardeep Narwal and Surender Gill.

Similarly, Delhi, season 7 runners-up, relied on their experienced defence to stop Bengaluru Bulls and Pawan Sehrawat to secure another shot at winning the coveted title.

Iranian left-corner Mohammadreza Shadloui, who leads the table for most tackle points this season, might be the player under the spotlight but coach Ram Mehar Singh knows cover defenders Neeraj Kumar and Sajin C have played pivotal roles.

Taking the attack to Patna may be a bad ploy considering the form of their defenders. Delhi will need to slow down the tempo of the match and let their experienced stars dictate the court.

In Naveen Kumar, Delhi have a dynamic raider who can change the mat in a matter of seconds. He has not looked in his peak fitness but the youngster is a big-match performer.