Bengal and Gujarat target extending their lead at the top of respective zones

Gujarat Fortunegiants face Jaipur Pink Panthers and Bengal Warriors take on Tamil Thalaivas on Day 3 of the Kolkata leg at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium on Sunday. The Fortunegiants and the Pink Panthers will both be in search of a victory after tasting defeat in their last outings, while Bengal who have recorded one win and a draw from their opening two home matches will look to continue their unbeaten streak against Chennai, who are anchored at the bottom of Zone B.

Match 59 (Zone A): Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Jaipur Pink Panthers

Head-to-Head: Gujarat Fortunegiants 1-0 Jaipur Pink Panthers

Zone A leaders Gujarat will be looking to put things right after blowing a first-half lead against Haryana Steelers on Saturday. The Fortunegiants have plenty of options in attack with Sachin, captain Sukesh Hegde and Rohit Gulia, all making significant contributions over the course of the season. They will, however, be hoping for their formidable defence to be on top of their game again after a poor showing against the Steelers.

The Panthers, on the other hand, currently occupy fifth spot in Zone A and come into the match following a defeat at the hands of U Mumba. It remains to be seen if their captain and the man known as the One Man Army Manjeet Chhillar will return to the mat having missed their last three matches with an injury. That being said, Jaipur are more than capable of performing in his absence with the likes of Jasvir Singh as well as Pawan Kumar in attack and Sunil Siddhgavali in defence.

Match 60 (Zone B): Bengal Warriors vs Tamil Thalaivas

Meanwhile, the Warriors will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to their home leg against rock-bottom Chennai. Bengal have been in fine form of late with both their defence and attack looking sharp on the mat. Maninder Singh has been the pick of the raiders for Kolkata in the home leg, while skipper Surjeet Singh, Bhupender Singh and Vinod Kumar have also made their presence felt.   

As far as Chennai are concerned, it is imperative that they somehow pull off a win and boost their campaign a little. A relatively inexperienced unit, the southerners have managed just one win thus far. Ajay Thakur and K. Prapanjan have stepped up and delivered for them from time to time, however, it’s the overall performance and inconsistency that has plagued them so far.  

Catch the action live on the Star Sports network and hotstar from 7.30 pm onwards.