VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 6 will see two big fixtures as Tamil Thalaivas will play host to three-time time champions Patna Pirates. The contest promise a lot of excitement and here is what you can expect.
Head-to-head: Tamil Thalaivas 1 – 2 Patna Pirates
The season will kick off with hosts Tamil Thalaivas taking on three-time champions Patna Pirates in the season opener. It will be an interesting contest particularly keeping in mind that Patna Pirates will come into the match on the back of a five-game unbeaten streak in the closing stages of Season 5 which saw them lift the trophy. But interestingly their last loss came at the hand of Tamil Thalaivas in Match 124 of Season 5. The Thalaivas also hold an advantage as the host team has won opening game in four out of the five seasons held so far.
With big names like Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Jasvir Singh in their ranks, the Thalaivas have a bank of experience to draw from. They also have good pressure raiders like Sukesh Hegde and Surjeet Singh to further strengthen the raiding department. In defence, Amit Hooda will combine with youngsters Darshan J. and C. Arun, both of whom impressed in Season 5. All-rounder D. Pradap also displayed a good fighting spirit in his Season 5 debut and it will be interesting to see how he develops in the coming season.
Patna Pirates will once again look to captain Pardeep Narwal to steer their ship. If he strikes form early, then it will spell doom for the other teams. In the absence of the impressive Monu Goyat, Deepak Narwal and Surender Singh will be filling in his shoes as the secondary raiders. Manish, Jaideep, Jawahar Dagar and Vijay will once again be leading the defence for the Pirates and the addition of Kuldeep Singh will give the defence that bit of added strength that the team has been missing in the previous season.
Clash of the Titans
Manjeet Chhillar vs Pardeep Narwal
When the man with the most Tackle Points in the history of VIVO Pro Kabaddi will be up against the man with the most Raid Points in a single VIVO Pro Kabaddi season, things are sure to get heated. According to recent form Narwal holds the edge but one can never count out a class act like the One-Man-Army Chhillar.
Key Players
Ajay Thakur – Tamil Thalaivas
The Tamil Thalaivas captain was the third most successful raider in Season 5 with 213 Raid Points in 22 matches and was well known for his never-say-die spirit.
Deepak Narwal – Patna Pirates
Deepak Narwal had a wonderful campaign with Bengal Warriors in Season 5 and his return to Patna Pirates shows just how much confidence the champions have in his ability. His skilful raiding could see him become more than just a supporting raider to Pardeep Narwal if he gets stuck in.
