While table-topping three-time champions Pirates eased past UP Yoddha 38-27 in the first semifinal to reach their fourth final, Dabang Delhi K.C. defeated season 6 champions 40-35 in the second semifinal to book their second successive final spot.
For Pirates, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui and Sunil picked up High 5s, while at the other end raiders Sachin (7 points) and Guman Singh (8 points) ensured the UP defenders had a difficult night.
In the second semifinal, Naveen Kumar picked up a Super 10 (14 points) as Delhi’s experienced stars clinched a comeback win after Pawan Sehrawat (18 points) had given the Bulls a fast start. Delhi secured important ALL OUTs at crucial points of the game to turn it in their favour.
It was the second time in a row that Delhi have ousted Bengaluru to reach a final, but this time they will hope to go one better and clinch their first ever PKL title after they fell short in the final in season 7 against Bengal Warriors.
Delhi may have gained confidence from their recent results including the one against their final opponents Patna, who they defeated very recently albeit against second string side of the three-time champions.
The two sides have already met twice this season in the league stage with Delhi winning on both occasions – the most recent fixture ended 26-23, while the reverse fixture was won 32-19 by Krishan Kumar Hooda’s side.
However, coach Ram Mehar Singh’s Patna hold the overall head-to-head advantage, having won 7 of 12 matches in PKL against Delhi, who have won 4 times and one match has ended in a tie.
The Patna side also have the experience of winning a PKL final as they have won 3 of their 3 summit clashes, while Delhi have lost their only final. Form-wise, both teams head into the clash on the back of 4 wins in their last 5 outings. So, it’s expected to be a closely contested battle.
The main focus in the final will be the direct showdown between Delhi’s right raider Naveen Kumar and Patna’s left corner Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui. Whoever comes out on top on the night is assured of sealing the match in their side’s favour.
Shadloui is the leading defender this season with 87 tackle points with 10 High 5s. Naveen Kumar, on the other hand, has missed most part of the season through injury, but still features in the top 5 raiders with 194 raid points including 11 Super 10s.
Now, ahead of the PKL 8 final, let’s take a look at the possible playing 7s and dream11 team for Patna Pirates vs Dabang Delhi K.C.:
Patna Pirates Predicted Starting 7: Prashanth Kumar Rai, Sachin Tanwar, Guman Singh, Sunil, Neeraj Kumar, Sajin Chandrashekar, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui
Dabang Delhi K.C. Predicted Starting 7: Naveen Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar, Jeeva Kumar, Vijay, Neeraj Narwal, Joginder Narwal, Sandeep Narwal
Dream11 Best Pick: Sandeep Narwal (All-rounder – DEL, Neeraj Kumar (Defender – PAT), Sajin Chandrashekar (Defender – PAT), Mohammadreza Chiyaneh Shadloui (All-rounder – PAT), Naveen Kumar (captain/Raider – DEL), Prashanth Kumar Rai (Raider – PAT), Guman Singh (vice-captain/Raider – PAT)
Patna Pirates vs Dabang Delhi K.C. PKL season final details
Start time and date: 8:30 PM IST on Friday (February 25)
Live Channel: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD
Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar
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