Pawan Sehrawat and Bengaluru Bulls to face Naveen Kumar and Dabang Delhi K.C.

Two of the game’s finest raiders will go head-to-head for the first time in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8 on Wednesday.

Season 6 MVP Pawan Sehrawat and his Bengaluru Bulls will go up against Season 7 MVP Naveen Kumar and Dabang Delhi K.C. in the main event. Earlier in the day, Haryana Steelers will take on U.P. Yoddha.

Check out our preview for both matches:

Match 49: Haryana Steelers vs U.P. Yoddha

The Haryana Steelers were on the receiving end of a defensive masterclass from the Tamil Thalaivas in their last game. The 45-26 loss snapped their three-game unbeaten streak and results in the other games since have pushed them to ninth on the points table. The Steelers have the fourth-best raiding unit in the league and the fifth-best defence in the league. But the two units have struggled to compliment each other in games, which explains their position on the points table. Haryana are just five points behind U Mumba, who are currently fifth on the points table. A win over U.P. Yoddha could push them into the playoff positions and help them kick start another run of positive results.

In their previous outing, U.P. Yoddha snapped their winless streak with a 42-27 victory over the Bengaluru Bulls. U.P. Yoddha’s defence was the star of the show as the unit scored 22 tackle points, a vivo Pro Kabaddi record. Surender Gill and Shrikant Jadhav were also terrific and have been all season long, despite neither starting the game as the primary raider. U.P. Yoddha have an extremely talented roster but simply couldn’t find rhythm earlier in the season. Their convincing win over the Bulls could be the springboard they needed to claw their way up the points table.

Haryana Steelers vs U. P. Yoddha head-to-head

Haryana Steelers have won two and lost two of their four matches against the U.P. Yoddha.

Match 50: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Bengaluru Bulls

Dabang Delhi K.C. succumbed to a surprising defeat against the Jaipur Pink Panthers in their last outing, their first loss of the season. Naveen Kumar was held to just seven points, ending his incredible streak of consecutive Super 10s at 28. Delhi’s reliance on their star raider to pick up a Super 10 every game and lead them to victory is not a sustainable game plan. Delhi’s defence needs to step their game up, while support raiders Vijay and Ashu Kumar must be more potent during raids. Delhi are still comfortably placed on the table but could slip to fourth with a loss. It is imperative for Delhi to beat the Bulls and regain some of the confidence they probably lost after the game against the Pink Panthers.

Bengaluru Bulls were on the receiving end of a record-breaking performance from U.P. Yoddha in their previous outing. The Bulls’ raiding unit could muster only 20 points but gave up 22 tackle points. Pawan Sehrawat was tackled eight times on the night and was limited to just five raid points. The Bulls have the perfect opportunity to put that loss in the rear-view mirror and bounce back with a win over Dabang Delhi K.C. and leapfrog them on the points table.

Dabang Delhi K.C. vs Bengaluru Bulls head-to-head

Dabang Delhi K.C. leads 8-5 in their head-to-head series against the Bengaluru Bulls. The teams have shared the spoils once.

PKL Schedule for Wednesday, January 12

Match 49: Haryana Steelers vs. U.P. Yoddha, 7:30 PM IST

Match 50: Dabang Delhi K.C. vs. Bengaluru Bulls, 8:30 PM IST

Where to watch vivo Pro Kabaddi live?

Catch all the LIVE action from vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 8 on the Star Sports Network and LIVE streaming on Disney+Hotstar.