Gujarat Fortunegiants start Season 7 with win over Bengaluru Bulls

Gujarat Fortunegiants beat Bengaluru Bulls 42-24 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. In the end, an all-round team performance by Gujarat Fortunegiants, which saw Sachin score six raid points and captain Sunil Kumar notch up six tackle points, was enough to overcome the defending champions.

Gujarat Fortunegiants started the contest strongly and looked like they would inflict an early All-Out on Bengaluru Bulls. However, a Super Tackle by Mahender Singh ensured that Gujarat Fortunegiants didn’t have it all their way early on.

That said, it merely delayed the outcome as a combination of a few successful raids by Sachin and some solid defending by Gujarat Fortunegiants led to the first All-Out of the night on Bengaluru Bulls in the 12th minute.

Gujarat Fortunegiants then went on to establish control in the game with the likes of More GB and Rohit Gulia completing successful raids, while Sunil and Sumit held fort in the defence. The defending champions eventually succumbed to a second All-Out of the night with just seconds remaining for half-time and went into the break trailing Gujarat Fortunegiants 21-10.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Bengaluru Bulls finding it difficult to cope with Sachin and More’s raids as well as Gujarat Fortunegiants’ solid defence. A four-point Super Raid in the 27th minute by Pawan ‘Hi-Flyer’ Sehrawat, though, gave Bengaluru Bulls a glimmer of hope of making a comeback.

However, just as it seemed like the reigning champions would get back into the match, Gujarat Fortunegiants’ defenders halted their momentum. The likes of Sunil, Sumit, Parvesh Bhainswal and substitute Ruturaj Koravi, all defended resolutely to make sure Gujarat Fortunegiants had a 29-20 lead with seven minutes remaining.

Soon after, a Super Raid by Gujarat Fortunegiants substitute Sonu took the wind out of Bengaluru Bulls’ sails. They went on to inflict a third All-Out on Bengaluru Bulls moments later and made it 36-21 with five minutes left on the clock. Bengaluru Bulls tried to claw their way back into the contest in the closing stages, but Gujarat Fortunegiants’ almost airtight defence made life difficult for them and saw the match through with a 42-24 scoreline.

Top Performers:

Bengaluru Bulls –

Best Raider – Pawan Sehrawat (8 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Mahender Singh (4 Tackle Points)

Gujarat Fortunegiants –

Best Raider – Sachin (6 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sunil Kumar (6 Tackle Points)