Gujarat Fortunegiants face Tamil Thalaivas in a must-win game

Match 112 of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7 will see Gujarat Fortunegiants take on Tamil Thalaivas at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex in Panchkula on Saturday. While Tamil Thalaivas have already been mathematically eliminated from the battle for a playoff spot, their opponents Gujarat Fortunegiants still retain a slim chance of sneaking into the top 6.

Match 112: Gujarat Fortunegiants vs. Tamil Thalaivas

Head-to-head: Gujarat Fortunegiants 1-1 Tamil Thalaivas

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Played: 18

Won: 5

Tied: 2

Lost: 11

Win Rate: 27.77%

Best Raider: Rohit Gulia

Best Defender: Sunil Kumar

Their defeat against U Mumba on Sunday coupled U.P. Yoddha’s victory over Tamil Thalaivas the previous night meant that it is now exceptionally difficult for Gujarat Fortunegiants to finish in the top 6 at the end of the league stage. Rohit Gulia continued to remain the only consistent player in the team and finished the match against U Mumba with eight raid points, completing 100 for the season. Injuries and poor form for star raider Sachin Tanwar have hampered Gujarat Fortunegiants’ raiding unit and the defence, too, has had its fair share of issues. Outside of skipper Sunil Kumar, the defensive unit has been marred with inconsistent form and poor play. Standout Cover defender Parvesh Bhainswal has scored just 40 tackle points in 18 appearances, a far cry from his Season 6 exploits where he finished second in the race for the Best Defender Award. Gujarat Fortunegiants have no room for error any more, however, victories in all their remaining matches could still prove to be inadequate in their quest for a playoffs spot.

Tamil Thalaivas

Played: 18

Won: 3

Tied: 3

Lost: 12

Win Rate: 16.67%

Best Raider: Rahul Chaudhari

Best Defender: Manjeet Chhillar

Their defeat against U.P. Yoddha meant that Tamil Thalaivas became the first team to be knocked out of the race for a top 6 spot this season. The writing, though, was the wall for Tamil Thalaivas after they failed to win in their previous 11 matches, managing a tie just twice during that spell. Injuries to stalwarts Manjeet Chhillar and Ajay Thakur, and the inconsistent form of ‘Showman’ Rahul Chaudhari, alongside other veterans like Ran Singh and Mohit Chhillar have been the key contributors to their poor run of results over the past 12 matches. The silver lining has been the emergence of raider V Ajith Kumar, who has enjoyed a fruitful rookie campaign. The youngster has scored 89 raid points, including three Super 10s so far and has been a consistent scorer of points for his team. The raider will hope to finish his campaign with a flourish by adding some more quality performances in the final four matches of the season, starting against Gujarat Fortunegiants on Saturday.