Gujarat Fortunegiants begin home leg with tricky Tamil Thalaivas test

Gujarat Fortunegiants get their VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 home leg underway with a clash against Tamil Thalaivas at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Saturday. After three successive wins to start their campaign, Gujarat Fortunegiants fell short in their last two outings and will want to set things right in front of their fans. Tamil Thalaivas, on the other hand, head into the contest on the back a thrilling tie against U.P. Yoddha in their last match.      

Match 34: Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Tamil Thalaivas

Head-to-head: Gujarat Fortunegiants 1 – 1 Tamil Thalaivas. 0 Ties.

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Form guide:

Played: 5

Won: 3

Tied: 0

Lost: 2

Win rate: 60%

Best Raider: Rohit Gulia

Best Defender: Parvesh Bhainswal

Coach Manpreet Singh will be eager for his team to rediscover the winning habit and he’ll view Saturday’s contest in front of their home fans as the perfect opportunity. Successive losses may have taken away some of Gujarat Fortunegiants’ early season momentum, but the home side will be confident in their ability to bounce back following a narrow loss in their last game. Sachin Tanwar will be eager to have more on an impact in attack than he’s had so far, while all-rounder Rohit Gulia – the team’s leading raid points scorer this year – will want to continue in the manner that he’s begun the season. In defence, the likes of Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ankit and Sumit will be looking to put their previous performances behind them and make amends with the defensive solidity they’ve been renowned for over the years.    

Tamil Thalaivas

Form guide:

Played: 5

Won: 2

Tied: 1

Lost: 2

Win rate: 40%

Best Raider: Rahul Chaudhari

Best Defender: Manjeet Chhillar

Tamil Thalaivas have emerged as a formidable side in the ongoing season despite two losses in their first three matches. Those setbacks could have gone either way with one-point wins for the opposition in both games. Their fighting spirit though was evident in all their matches so far starting from their defeats to the win in their season opener against Telugu Titans and the come-from-behind win and tie against Haryana Steelers and U.P. Yoddha respectively. Their last match saw Shabeer Bappu making his presence felt alongside Ajay ‘Iceman’ Thakur and Rahul ‘Showman’ Chaudhari. An in-form Bappu is a big boost for Tamil Thalaivas’ already impressive raiding unit, while Ran Singh and Mohit Chhillar also seem to be coming into their own in a defence that’s mostly seen Manjeet Chhillar dominate opposition raiders so far.