Kabaddi action returns to Jaipur after a hiatus of almost two years and home team Jaipur Pink Panthers will kick it off against Gujarat Fortunegiants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday. A win will see Jaipur Pink Panthers climb above U.P. Yoddha into the Top 6 of the vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7 standings.

Match 100: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs. Gujarat Fortunegiants

Jaipur Pink Panthers will host Gujarat Fortunegiants in Match 100 of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7.

Head-to-head: Jaipur Pink Panthers 2 – 5 Gujarat Fortunegiants   

Jaipur Pink Panthers

Played: 16

Won: 7

Tied: 1

Lost: 8

Win Rate: 43.75%

Best Raider: Deepak Niwas Hooda

Best Defender: Sandeep Dhull

Their loss against U.P. Yoddha meant that Jaipur Pink Panthers have now gone seven games with a win, a huge contrast from their form in the first nine games where they won seven times and lost just twice. Both, U Mumba and U.P. Yoddha, who trailed them in the standings, are now five points clear of Jaipur Pink Panthers and with just six games left in the season, they would be aiming to not leave it too late to catch up on the teams above them. Jaipur Pink Panthers’ drop in form has coincided with that of two of their stars this season, skipper Deepak Niwas Hooda and Left Corner Sandeep Dhull. After scoring 33 tackle points in his first nine appearances, Dhull has scored 24 in his last seven. While his average hasn’t seen a big dip, his tackle success rate has dropped from 58.18% to 40%. Hooda, too, has seen a drop in his average from 7.4 raid points per game to barely above six in the past seven matches. Jaipur Pink Panthers are heavily reliant on the performances of Hooda and Dhull in offence and defence respectively, and the sooner they find their form from earlier in the campaign, the better it bodes for the team’s chances.    

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Played: 16

Won: 5

Tied: 1

Lost: 10

Win Rate: 31.25%

Best Raider: Rohit Gulia

Best Defender: Sunil Kumar

After losing just ten matches in their first 49 games in vivo Pro Kabaddi, Gujarat Fortunegiants have already lost 10 out of their 16 matches so far this season and find themselves in a spot of bother in the league table. They are 13 points off a Playoff spot and, with just six matches left in the campaign, there’s no room for error for coach Manpreet Singh and his men. Their elite Cover duo of skipper Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal has struggled to replicate their form from Season 6, that saw them both finish in the top 5 tackle point scorers of the campaign. Bhainswal, especially, has endured a difficult campaign and is currently averaging just above two tackle points per game. The raiding department hasn’t fared much better either. Rohit Gulia leads the team in scoring with 89 raid points in 16 matches while their top scorer from the past two campaigns, raider Sachin Tanwar has scored just 78 raid points in 14 appearances. The compounded lack of form from both units have resulted in Gujarat Fortunegiants languishing in the 10th spot in the standings, and if they hope to salvage their playoff hopes, they need a victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers to get back their confidence.