Bengal Warriors host Gujarat Fortunegiants in opening match of their home leg

Bengal Warriors will want to begin their home leg in vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7 with a win against Gujarat Fortunegiants at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday. The hosts currently occupy fourth spot in the standings and will be looking to bounce back from a loss in their last outing by beating the two-time finalists for the second time this campaign. Gujarat Fortunegiants, on other hand, seem to be rediscovering their early season form and have won two of their last three matches.    

Match 78: Bengal Warriors vs Gujarat Fortunegiants

Head-to-head: Bengal Warriors 1 – 2 Gujarat Fortunegiants. 1 Tie.

Bengal Warriors

Form guide:

Played: 12

Won: 6

Tied: 2

Lost: 4

Win rate: 50%

Best Raider: Maninder Singh

Best Defender: Rinku Narwal

Bengal Warriors, somewhat uncharacteristically, struggled to score raid points in their last match. Having got the better of opposition defences for most of the season, Bengal Warriors’ raiding unit couldn’t quite make their mark in the last match with Mohammad Nabibakhsh finishing as their top raid points scorer after scoring four touch and two bonus points. That said, their raiders have delivered more often than not and it would not come as much of a surprise if Maninder Singh and K. Prapanjan were to produce another raiding clinic on Saturday. However, Bengal Warriors will need to be on top of their game on both ends of the mat to overcome Gujarat Fortunegiants. Veteran Jeeva Kumar will be keen to move on from his past few outings and use his experience for the benefit of the team. His experience, coupled with Baldev Singh and Rinku Narwal’s tenaciousness in tackles, can make life difficult for any opposition raiding unit.      

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Form guide:

Played: 12

Won: 5

Tied: 0

Lost: 7

Win rate: 41.67%

Best Raider: Rohit Gulia

Best Defender: Sunil Kumar

Gujarat Fortunegiants, meanwhile, will be focused on returning to the top 6, having fallen out after their slump. They seem to have turned a corner with two wins in their last three games and will want to set the record straight after losing to Bengal Warriors earlier in the season. The return of Sachin Tanwar in the last match is a big boost for them and, if he can find form soon, then the side can count on a brand-new dynamic in attack. All-rounder Rohit Gulia has been their leading raid points scorer so far, while More GB has also contributed in attack as well as defence. If Gulia, More and Sachin can find their rhythm going forward, Gujarat Fortunegiants could solidify a top 6 spot. After all, their defence – despite a couple of off days – has functioned in a cohesive manner that fans have come to expect from Manpreet Singh’s men over the years. The likes of skipper Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal and Sumit are just a few of the names that feature in their formidable defence.