PKL 2019

PKL semifinals preview: Bengaluru up against Dabang Delhi, U Mumba faces Bengal Warriors

Bengaluru Bulls faces Dabang Delhi after overcoming UP Yoddha in Eliminator, while U Mumba faces a well-rested Bengal Warriors in PKL semifinals.

PTI
Ahmedabad 15 October, 2019 23:59 IST

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat sits atop the leaderboard for raid points.   -  R. Senthil Kumar

PTI
Ahmedabad 15 October, 2019 23:59 IST

A thrilling victory over UP Yoddha in Eliminator 1 boosting its confidence, Bengaluru Bulls will take on table-topper Dabang Delhi in the first semifinal of the Pro Kabaddi League here on Wednesday.

The first meeting between the two sides this season ended in a narrow 33-31 victory for Dabang Delhi while the second witnessed a thrilling 39-39 tie.

Bengaluru Bulls, the reigning champion, fought a mighty battle against a spirited UP Yoddha team and prevailed 48-45 in Eliminator 1 to make it to the semifinals.

The match initially ended 36-36 and it needed extra-time to decide a winner. Two massive raids from Pawan Kumar Sehrawat in the first-ever extra-time in Pro Kabaddi history ensured victory for Bengaluru Bulls, setting up a showdown against Dabang Delhi.

Read: PKL playoffs - all you need to know

U Mumba faces Bengal Warriors in the second semifinal, also on Wednesday at the same venue.

U Mumba is on a five-match unbeaten streak but will face a confident Bengal Warriors, which is well-rested after its final league stage match. U Mumba will have the momentum on its side after beating Haryana Steelers convincingly in Eliminator 2.

After an indifferent start to the campaign, Bengal Warriors managed an eight-match unbeaten streak which was finally broken in its penultimate league match by Patna Pirates.

It managed to win its next match even in skipper Maninder Singh’s absence, but the earlier defeat meant that it had to settle for a second-place finish in the league standings.

Dabang Delhi vs Bengaluru Bulls stats

H2H Overall: Matches – 13 | Dabang Delhi – 7 | Bengaluru Bulls – 5 | Tie – 1

PKL 7 H2H: Dabang Delhi – 1 | Bengaluru Bulls – 0 | Tie – 1

  • Similar to UP Yoddha, Bengaluru Bulls will be taking on another team it couldn't beat this season during the league phase
  • In both matches, the team trailing at half-time mounted a comeback to win or tie the match
  • Bengaluru's Pawan Kumar Sehrawat has the most raid points (328), the highest average raid points (14.3) and the highest raid strike rate (74) this PKL season; he's second on the list of Super 10s

Bengal Warriors vs U Mumba stats

H2H Overall: Matches – 13 | Bengal Warriors – 3 | U Mumba – 10

PKL 7 H2H: Bengal Warriors – 2 | U Mumba – 0

  • Less than five points separated Bengal Warriors and U Mumba in their league meetings this season
  • While Maninder Singh has contributed to 43 per cent of team’s raid points, the support raiders in Prapanjan, Nabibakhsh and Sukesh Hegde have contributed 47 per cent