Defending champions Bengaluru Bulls face stern Bengal Warriors test

Bengal Warriors will square off against Bengaluru Bulls at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna on Saturday. Both sides have won two and lost one of their opening three matches, but Bengal Warriors will go into the fixture with a one-point advantage over last season’s champions, courtesy their only loss of the season coming by a margin of seven points or less. Saturday’s clash between the two promises to be a mouth-watering affair with some star names in both sides.

Match 24: Bengal Warriors vs Bengaluru Bulls

Head-to-head: Bengal Warriors 7 – 7 Bengaluru Bulls. 0 Ties.

Bengal Warriors

Form guide:

Played: 3

Won: 2

Tied: 0

Lost: 1

Win rate: 66.67%

Best Raider: Maninder Singh

Best Defender: Baldev Singh

Bengal Warriors will be in a confident frame of mind after a convincing win over Puneri Paltan in their last match. A well-oiled unit, Bengal Warriors have looked equally efficient while raiding and defending. Baldev Singh has been in tremendous form in defence so far and has already notched up 16 tackle points in three games. The likes of Jeeva Kumar, Rinku Narwal and Viraj Vishnu Landge, too, have looked solid in defence and will look to continue their good form against Bengaluru Bulls. Bengal Warriors’ raiding unit, meanwhile, has found a lot of success so far. Captain Maninder Singh scored 14 raid points in their last game, while K. Prapanjan and Mohammad Nabibakhsh have also made their presence felt.

Bengaluru Bulls

Form guide:

Played: 3

Won: 2

Tied: 0

Lost: 1

Win rate: 66.67%

Best Raider: Pawan Sehrawat

Best Defender: Mahender Singh

Like Bengal Warriors, the defending champions will be targeting their third win of the campaign and all eyes will once again be on their talisman Pawan ‘Hi-Flyer’ Sehrawat. After a Super 10 in their last game, Sehrawat will be eager to produce a similar performance against a formidable Bengal Warriors defence. However, he’ll require some support in attack from Mohit Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar, who have been relatively quiet so far this season. As far as their defence goes, Mahender Singh has been their main man and has found good support from Amit Sheoran, Ashish Sangwan and Saurabh Nandal over the course of their first three matches.