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 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.
Patna, with their hybrid Kabaddi players who can both attack and defend, have shown the future of the sport this season. They lost their star raider Pardeep Narwal, who won them three titles in his reign, at the 2021 auctions.
But they invested in a collective ideology — where the team is the star — and that has paid rich dividends.
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.
It is the same story with the attack. Sachin is undoubtedly their lead raider but Guman Singh, Prashanth Rai, and Monu Goyat have all chipped in with important contributions.
But Patna will have to chalk out plans to tackle Naveen Kumar and Delhi’s powerful raiders.
Interestingly, Patna have struggled in both the matches against Delhi in the league stage. They lost the first match thanks to an incredible performance from all-rounder Sandeep Narwal.
The second match was a low-scoring affair which Delhi won thanks to Manjeet Chhillar’s High 5. These experienced stars will once again be the key for Delhi in the final.
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.
Delhi also will have to make plans to deal with Mohammadreza Shadloui.
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