After a blockbuster start to vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9, Day 2 promises to be just as exciting. Dabang Delhi K.C., Bengaluru Bulls and U.P. Yoddhas won on opening day in entertaining encounters that would have left fans wanting more ahead of the second day of vivo PKL Season 9.

On Day 2, we are in for another tripleheader on Saturday night as some of the top stars take the mat. The first game of the night will be played between Patna Pirates and Puneri Paltan, whereas in the second game, Gujarat Giants will take on Tamil Thalaivas. In the closing encounter for the night, Bengal Warriors will be up against Haryana Steelers.

Here are our previews for Day 2.

Match 4: Patna Pirates vs Puneri Paltan

Three-time champions Patna Pirates will play their first vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 game against Puneri Paltan. They will be banking on their lead raider Sachin to spearhead their attack and continue his strong form last season which saw him amass 172 raid points, making him the pick of the raiders for Patna Pirates. He will be supported by the experienced Sukesh Hegde, who has scored 471 raid points overall in vivo Pro Kabaddi. Patna Pirates will also hope that the likes of Monu, Anand Tomar and Vishwas S can make their presence felt while raiding. In defence, Patna Pirates’ skipper, Neeraj Kumar will be in-charge of marshaling his troops. Neeraj Kumar scored 53 tackle points last season and was a major reason behind them boasting a tight defence. He along with Sunil, who notched up 49 tackle points last season, will shoulder the bulk of the defensive responsibility for the team. Furthermore, all-rounders like Rohit Gulia and Sajin C will add balance to the team since they can contribute in both attack and defence.

Puneri Paltan, though, will be ready for the three-time champions as they bid to make a positive start to the campaign. Aslam Inamdar, who enjoyed a fine vivo Pro Kabaddi debut campaign with Puneri Paltan last season, will be their go-to raider. He scored 169 raid points to become the top raider for Puneri Paltan in Season 8 and demonstrated that he can also contribute defensively with 20 tackle points. Inamdar will have the likes of Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite to support him in attack. Mohit Goyat, in particular, could have a big role to play if his 159 raid points and 28 tackle points in Season 8 are anything to go by. Defensively, Puneri Paltan have the likes of Sombir, Abinesh Nadarajan and Sanket Sawant within their ranks. While Sombir scored 60 tackle points in Season 8, Abinesh Nadarajan and Sanket Sawant notched up 44 and 26 tackle points respectively.

Patna Pirates vs Puneri Paltan head-to-head

Patna Pirates have met Puneri Paltan in 17 vivo Pro Kabaddi matches. The three-time champions have won 13 out of 17 games while Puneri Paltan have won twice. Two matches ended in ties.

Match 5: Gujarat Giants vs Tamil Thalaivas

The two-time finalists, Gujarat Giants will battle it out against Tamil Thalaivas in their opening game of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9. They have got an experienced raiding trio of Chandran Ranjit, Mahendra Rajput and Rohit Kumar to lead their attack this season. Anyone of the aforementioned raiders can take a game away from the opposition when on song and you can rest assured that Gujarat Giants fans will be hoping that one of them steps up for the team and sets the tone for the rest of the season. These raiding specialists will also get assistance from Pardeep Kumar and Rakesh who have been a part of the Gujarat Giants even in the last campaign. Gujarat Giants boast an experienced defence as they have got the likes of Rinku Narwal, Baldev Singh, and Sandeep Kandola to tackle raiders. This defensive trio have proven that they can get the better of quality raiders in the past and will need to be on top of their game against Tamil Thalaivas’ dynamic attack.

As far as Tamil Thalaivas are concerned, all eyes will be on Hi-Flyer Pawan Sehrawat to see how he starts the season with his new team. Sehrawat has been a force to be reckoned with in the league and is the third-highest raid points scorer (986) in vivo Pro Kabaddi history. Capable of single-handedly winning matches for his team, Sehrawat will have to be kept quiet if Gujarat Giants want to win the game. That said, Tamil Thalaivas also have raider Ajinkya Pawar in the team should Sehrawat experience a rare off day. Pawar scored 108 raid points last season and can pick up crucial points in pressure situations. On the defensive front, Sagar, who was the second-best defender in Season 8 with 82 tackle points, will be the leader of the pack. Sagar will be supported by Mohit and Sahil Gulia in defence after the duo combined for 54 tackle points for Tamil Thalaivas last season.

Gujarat Giants vs Tamil Thalaivas head-to-head

In vivo Pro Kabaddi, Gujarat Giants and Tamil Thalaivas have played each other six times. Gujarat Giants have won four games while Tamil Thalaivas have won twice.

Match 6: Bengal Warriors vs Haryana Steelers

In the last game of the night, Bengal Warriors will square off against Haryana Steelers. The Season 7 champions have continued with Maninder Singh as their captain. The Warriors skipper scored 262 raid points in Season 8 and was the third-best raider in the league. He will once again be Bengal Warriors’ talisman this season and will be aided in attack by Shrikant Jadhav and all-rounder Deepak Hooda. Shrikant Jadhav has accumulated 484 raid points over the years in vivo Pro Kabaddi, while Deepak Hooda has amassed 973 raid points besides also chipping in with 90 tackle points. Deepak Hooda’s defence prowess will add further solidity to Bengal Warriors’ defence which also features experienced campaigners like Surender Nada, Girish Ernak and Amit Sheoran.

Haryana Steelers, on the other hand, will be captained by defender Joginder Narwal, who has tons of vivo Pro Kabaddi experience under his belt. A calm and assured presence defensively, Joginder will have the support of fellow defenders Jaideep and Mohit to call upon. Both Jaideep and Mohit showed what they are capable of last season with 66 and 42 tackle points respectively, and they will be eager to better that tally in the new campaign. Meanwhile, Haryana Steelers’ raiding department features players like K. Prapanjan, Rakesh Narwal, Manjeet and Vinay and Meetu. While Manjeet is expected to be the team’s main raider after scoring 159 raid points last season, players like Rakesh Narwal, Vinay and Meetu are capable of rising to the challenge. Furthermore, K. Prapanjan and all-rounder Nitin Rawal will also be keen to have a positive impact for Haryana Steelers this season.

Bengal Warriors vs Haryana Steelers head-to-head

Bengal Warriors have clashed against Haryana Steelers six times in vivo Pro Kabaddi. The Season 7 champions have won only one of those matches, while Haryana Steelers have emerged victorious five times.

vivo PKL Schedule for October 8, Saturday 7:30 PM onwards

Match 4: Patna Pirates vs Puneri Paltan

Match 5: Gujarat Giants vs Tamil Thalaivas

Match 6: Bengal Warriors vs Haryana Steelers

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 LIVE?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 9 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

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