Patna Pirates look to build on winning momentum against Jaipur Pink Panthers

Patna Pirates face Jaipur Pink Panthers at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday, looking to build on their reversal of form since their big victory against Tamil Thalaivas. They will want to move off the bottom place in the Season 7 standings and give themselves a shot at a playoffs spot with a win in this match. Jaipur Pink Panthers, on the other hand, will be eager to leave their five-match winless streak behind and secure a victory to return to the Top 6 once again, making this an important contest for both sides.

Match 86: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Patna Pirates

Jaipur Pink Panthers

Played: 14

Won: 7

Tied: 1

Lost: 6

Win Rate: 50.00%

Best Raider: Deepak Hooda

Best Defender: Sandeep Dhull

After settling for a tie against Haryana Steelers on Wednesday having led till the final minute, Jaipur Pink Panthers will want to do one better and leave Kolkata with a win on Thursday. Skipper Deepak Hooda was sensational in that match as he has been all season. He scored his fourth Super 10 of the season and accounted for 14 of Jaipur Pink Panthers’ 16 raid points on the night. Sandeep Dhull also managed to keep his form going with another High 5. But lack of support for the duo meant that the rest of the team combined for just 13 points. This will be worrying for Jaipur Pink Panthers as the ability of all their players to contribute to the team’s cause is what led to their early success in the season. Nitin Rawal, Deepak Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar did not manage to add any points to their tally on Wednesday which proved to be telling in the final result. Their defenders Pavan TR and Santhapanaselvam, too, will have to support Dhull if they are to stop Pardeep Narwal, who comes into this match on the back of his best performance of the season.

Patna Pirates

Played: 14

Won: 4

Tied: 0

Lost: 10

Win Rate: 28.57%

Best Raider: Pardeep Narwal

Best Defender: Jaideep

Patna Pirates broke their six-match losing streak in style with a 51-25 victory over Tamil Thalaivas in their previous match. They still find themselves at the bottom of the standings, but another victory could see them rise three places in the table as they aim to secure a playoffs spot in their remaining matches. ‘Record-Breaker’ Pardeep will come into Thursday’s contest in red-hot form after scoring 26 raid points from 25 raid attempts in the team’s previous match. A lot will depend on how much success Narwal finds against Jaipur Pink Panthers’ defence and his battle against Dhull could be a deciding factor in the match. Patna Pirates’ defence, which was struggling for consistency earlier in the season, also managed 14 tackle points in their previous outing and were well led by Jaideep, who scored seven tackle points. He was well-supported by Hadi Oshtorak (four tackle points) and another similar performance from the defence will be essential if the team is to move off bottom spot in the standings.