BENGAL VS. UP: INDIAN KABADDI LEAGUE 2021-22, MATCH 3 | PREDICTION, PLAYING 7 AND FANTASY KABADDI TIPS
Bengal, the defending champions, take on UP in Match 3 of the Indian Kabaddi League at the Sheraton Grand Whitefield in Bengaluru on December 22.
For the champions, there couldn’t have been a more difficult start, with UP having bolstered their squad with the record signing of Pardeep Narwal, one of the league’s star raiders. Bengal will take heart from the fact that they won the title in 2019 despite Maninder Singh, their captain, missing the play-offs. Never having finished higher than 3rd before that, Mohammad Nabibakhsh, their Iranian international player, starred as they saw off table-topping Dabang Delhi in the final.
UP, who joined the league only in 2017, finished 3rd in the table in each of their three seasons so far. The play-offs haven’t been a happy hunting ground for them, though, as they lost in the eliminator in both 2017 and 2019. The closest they came to the trophy was in 2018, when they saw off Mumbai and Delhi in the play-offs before losing to Gujarat in Qualifier 2.
The signing of Narwal gives UP an attacking edge to go with their robust defence. For Bengal, BC Ramesh, the head coach who led them to glory in 2019, is seeking a third straight title, having also been part of the Bengaluru coaching staff when they won the league in 2018-19.
Match Details
- Game: Bengal vs. UP, Match 3
- Venue: Sheraton Grand Whitefield, Bengaluru
- Date & Time: Dec 22, 2021, at 9:30 PM IST
Probable Playing 7
Bengal
Maninder Singh (C), Mohammad Nabibaksh, Parveen Satpal, Darshan J, Sukesh Hegde, Rinku Narwal, Abozar Mighani
UP
Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, Shrikant Jadhav, Nitin Panwar, Ashu Singh, Sumit Sangwan, Nitesh Kumar (C)
Head-to-Head Record
This has been one of the more equal rivalries, though Bengal did register a record win in the previous season.
| Matches | Bengal Wins | UP Wins | Draws |
| 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Previous Season Results
After suffering a heavy thrashing in their first match, Shrikant Jadhav starred with 9 points as UP Yoddha held on for a narrow victory in the second encounter.
- Match 7: UP 17 – 48 Bengal
- Match 69: UP 32 – 29 Bengal
Top Fantasy Picks
Raider
- Pardeep Narwal is UP’s trump card and one of the best raiders in the game. Bought for a record ₹1.65 crore, his previous season tally of 302 points was second only to Bengaluru’s Pawan Sehrwat.
All-rounder
- Mohammad Nabibakhsh provided the inspiration for Bengal’s first title win last season. With captain Maninder Singh being injured during the play-offs, he scored 5 points in the semi-final against Mumbai, and tallied 10 in the final as they came from behind to beat Delhi.
Defender
- Nitesh Kumar’s 75 tackle points for UP was behind only Fazel Atrachali’s 82 for U Mumba. His combination with Sumit Sangwan will be central to UP’s chances of success in this season.
Howzat Dream Team
- Defenders: Nitesh Kumar, Sumit Sangwan, Rinku Narwal
- All-rounder: Nitin Panwar, Mohammad Nabibkash
- Raiders: Pardeep Narwal, Maninder Singh
- Captain: Pardeep Narwal/Maninder Singh
- Vice Captain: Mohammad Nabibkash/Nitesh Kumar
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own team from today’s fantasy kabaddi prediction and play all the upcoming matches of India Kabaddi League. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 7 is announced by each team as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
Get fantasy kabaddi tips on your favorite fantasy gaming app and select your own team, Howzat!
