Puneri Paltan vs Tamil Thalaivas, Pro Kabaddi (PKL), Today Match Prediction

punp vs tamt Match Prediction & Analysis

Puneri Paltan battle out against the Tamil Thalaivas in the 130th match of Pro Kabaddi Season 11 on Monday, 23rd December 2024. The match at Bton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune.  Both teams who are out of the playoff race play their last league match of the season and both teams look to end their season on a positive note. 

Puneri Paltan are coming off a 36-48, 12 point loss against the Telugu Titans in their last match, on the other hand the Tamil Thalaivas won their last match against the Bengaluru Bulls 42-32, a 10 point dominating win which is their second win in a row. Paltan currently stand at 8th place with 55 points in 21 matches (8 wins, 10 losses & 3 ties), while Tamil Thalaivas stand at 9th place with 50 points in 21 matches (8 wins, 12 losses & 1 tie). 

Head to Head Record - Puneri Paltan and Tamil Thalaivas clashed off in 12 matches, Puneri Paltan holds an upperhand with 6 wins, while the Thalaivas won 4 matches and two matches ended in a tie. Puneri Paltan have dominated against the Thalaivas in recent times winning three of their last five games and the average total match points per game between these teams over the last two seasons is 69.8. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Puneri Paltan Preview

The home team, Puneri Paltan, haven't had the best of seasons. They are out of the playoff race and failed to defend their PKL title. The Paltan have managed to win only one of their last five games, which has significantly affected their chances of qualification. In their last game, Puneri lost their match against the Telugu Titans by 12 points.

The Titans went on full attack mode against the Paltan and took a huge 9-point lead. Pune conceded an all-out, and their defense was shattered by the Titans' raiders, as they managed to pick up just three tackle points in the first 20 minutes. They did manage to make a comeback to some extent in the second half, but by then the game was effectively over.

Aryavardhan Navale, who started the game in place of Mohit Goyat, scored 8 raid points. V Ajit Kumar finished the game with 10 raid points. On the defensive end, Aman picked up a High 5, his fifth of the season. Dadaso Pujari also stepped up with 3 tackle points.

This season, the Paltan averages 34.9 points scored and 32.47 points conceded per game. Their raiding unit averages 18.52 raid points per game, ranking eighth, while their defense averages 11.05 tackle points per game, the fifth-best in the league. Pankaj Mohite, with 109 raid points, and Gaurav Khatri, with 56 tackle points, are the Paltan's top performers.

Puneri Paltan Probable Starting 7 - Pankaj Mohite, Akash Shinde, Aryavardhan Navale, Sanket Sawant, Abinesh Nadarajan, Dadaso Pujari, Aman

Tamil Thalaivas Preview

Tamil Thalaivas have been dominating in their last two games. After a 60-29 win over the Bengal Warriors, the Thalaivas had another impressive outing where they defeated the Bengaluru Bulls 42-32. The game was neck to neck in the first half, with the Thalaivas leading by one point at 14-13. However, in the second half, both teams went for glory, resulting in a high-scoring affair. The Thalaivas scored 28 points in the second half, including 16 raid points and 7 tackle points. They also inflicted two all-outs.

Himanshu, with 11 raid points (9 touch and 2 bonus), secured his second Super 10 of the season. He also contributed on the defensive end with two tackle points. Moein Shafaghi was the second-best scorer with 9 raid points. On the defensive end, Nitesh Kumar (3 tackle points), Amir Hosein Bastami (4 tackle points), M Abhishek (3 tackle points), and Aashish (2 tackle points) all stepped up.

The Thalaivas have nothing to lose in this game against the Paltan's. They will look to get the better of their opponents and end their campaign on a high. Furthermore, they will aim to finish above the Paltan's to close out the season. They are likely to stick with the same starting lineup as in the last two games, a 4-3 combination.

This season, the Thalaivas have been averaging 35.48 points per game and conceding 34.23 points per game. Their raiding unit averages 18.43 raid points per game, while their defense, averaging 12.48 tackle points per game, is the best in the league. Moein Shafaghi with 103 raid points and Nitesh Kumar, with 72 tackle points, have been the top performers for the team.

Tamil Thalaivas Probable Starting 7 - Himanshu, Moein Shafaghi, Aashish, Sai Prasad, Amirhossein Bastami, Nitesh Kumar, M Abhishek