Manpreet Singh urges Gujarat not to drop guard after big win

Gujarat Fortunegiants began their home leg in style after a convincing 39-21 win over U Mumba at The Arena in Ahmedabad on Friday. The hosts dominated proceedings from start to end and brushed aside Mumbai with three all-outs over the course of the match to deliver them their biggest loss of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5.

Rohit Gulia and Sachin played starring roles in their team’s fortunes with nine and eight points respectively on the night. Gujarat had a comfortable lead at the break but their coach Manpreet Singh spoke of how he advised his side not to rest on their 14-point lead and invite a U Mumba second-half comeback.

“It can happen and it has happened as well. In the last match, we lost to Haryana with the same mistake which we did today. It’s a league where you cannot feel that you’re safe because it’s a fast game. You cannot predict anything. The matches we play all depend on planning,” he told the media after the match.

The last time kabaddi swept Gujarat, the Indian national team registered several records en-route their historic march to the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup trophy. When asked if fans can expect more record-breaking nights during their home leg, Manpreet said: “Pro Kabaddi is not a league where only a country plays. In this league players of different countries play. There are still matches left and the upcoming matches will be tough. It’s not like that you can win a match by 20 points and the other one as well. It’s a league so you can win; you can lose as well because all the players have to travel a lot. We cannot predict anything. If the team stays fit, we will definitely try to perform better than this.”

Gujarat now take on Dabang Delhi K.C. in their second encounter of their home leg on Saturday, while Telugu Titans face U.P. Yoddha in the first match of the evening.