After 9 weeks of non-stop Kabaddi action, the crunch phase of the tournament has arrived as the knockouts of Pro Kabaddi League 9 begins from today. Total of 12 teams from all across India started their journey in October and now we are left with the best 6 teams who will battle it out against each other for the crown in the next 4 days.
The race is 🔛
Who'll claim the ultimate glory? 🏁#vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPanga pic.twitter.com/kSl66wLXML
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 13, 2022
There are two Eliminator matches on the card tonight from which we will be getting 2 teams who will face the top two teams in the Semi-Finals scheduled to take place on 15th December. All the play-off matches as well as the Finale will undergo at Mumbai’s Dome, NSCI SVP Stadium. The finale is scheduled to take place on 17th December, Sunday but before that let’s take a look at the composition of tonight’s clashes.
The c̶a̶l̶m̶ smiles 😁 before the s̶t̶o̶r̶m̶ #vivoPKLPlayoffs 🌪️
Who'll claim the 🏆?#vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPanga #vivoPKL2022Playoffs pic.twitter.com/6JNvmeOpuD
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 12, 2022
The first Eliminator match will feature 3rd placed Bengaluru Bulls and the defending champions Dabang Delhi K.C who finished 6th in the League phase. Both the teams had a very different season as the Bulls won 13 matches, lost 8 and drew 1 in their quota of 22 matches.
Get your 🍿 ready for tonight as the Bulls ⚔️ with the Dabangs in Eliminator 1!
Who do you think will make it to the semi-finals❓
#vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPaga #BLRvDEL pic.twitter.com/OSITmGZm7A— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 13, 2022
Meanwhile, Delhi started their season off in the best way possible as they were able to win their first 6 matches on the trot. However, in the second phase of the season, Delhi’s form slumped dramatically and for a while it seemed as if a top 6 finish is impossible.
But they managed to stay afloat thanks to their resurgent performance led by Captain Naveen Kumar and supported by the likes of Ashu Malik and Vijay Malik. In their 22 matches they won and lost 10 matches each and drew 2 games. They will be hoping for an energized performance tonight against one of the most balanced sides in PKL 9.
The Second Eliminator match will see 4th placed UP Yoddhas lock horns with 5th placed Tamil Thalaivas. If we talk about UP Yoddhas, then they have qualified for the play-offs for the 5th season in a row but they are yet to reach the Finals.
The fearless Yoddhas are ready to take on the spirited Thalaivas 🤜💥🤛
Who will come out on 🔝 in Eliminator 2? #vivoProKabaddi #FantasticPaga #UPvCHE pic.twitter.com/9xfdPVRJ7I
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) December 13, 2022
Their journey this season have been full of ups and downs as UP won 12 matches, lost 8 and drew 2. Their best player have been Captain Pardeep Narwal, who is also the most successful raider of PKL. This season Narwal has bagged 208 raid points and he will look to play the anchor’s role tonight against Thalaivas.
It will be fair to say that UP’s opponents Tamil Thalaiavas had the roughest start to the season 9. In their opening match against Gujarat Giants, Tamil’s most expensive raider Pawan Sehrawat sustained an Injury and got ruled out for the entire season.
Despite that challenge, Thalaiavas did not give up. During the auction for season 9, they had also bought the services of youngster Narender Kandola who made his senior debut this season. Kandola filled the big boots of Pawan Sehrawat and consistently helped the team to win matches at the crucial stages.
The Debutant is the 5th best raider this season 220 raid points and he will be hoping to maintain the same form in a do or die match.
The winner of both eliminators will meet Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan respectively on 15th December for the Semis. Jaipur will face either Bengaluru or Delhi while Puneri Paltan will square off against the winner of the match between Tamil and UP.
The first Eliminator will begin from 7:30 PM onwards, followed by the second Eliminator which will start from 8:30 PM onwards.
Also Read – Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 : UP Yoddhas road to play-offs
