Gujarat Fortunegiants will want to secure maximum points from their clash against U.P. Yoddha at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday after playing out a tie against Bengal Warriors in their previous match at the same venue. They will have the added incentive of climbing over the opposition in the standings if they secure a win. Overcoming U.P. Yoddha, though, will be no easy task as they eye a fourth successive win that will see them enter the top 6. 

Match 82: U.P. Yoddha vs Gujarat Fortunegiants

U.P. Yoddha face Gujarat Fortunegiants in Match 82 of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7.

Head-to-head: U.P. Yoddha 0 – 3 Gujarat Fortunegiants. 1 Tie.

U.P. Yoddha

Form guide:

Played: 13

Won: 6

Tied: 2

Lost: 5

Win rate: 46.15%

Best Raider: Shrikant Jadhav

Best Defender: Sumit

U.P. Yoddha have won their past three matches and could enter the Top 6 in the standings with a win against Gujarat Fortunegiants. Beating Gujarat Fortunegiants, though, is something they haven’t managed to do in their four encounters so far. They lost their earlier clash against them this season in convincing fashion but will head into Monday’s game with a positive mindset and winning momentum. Shrikant Jadhav has been their star player in recent weeks and it is his raiding that has been the difference in their last few matches. Thrust into the role of main raider in a team boasting of Monu Goyat and Rishank Devadiga in their ranks, Shrikant has thrived as the side’s primary attacker and is one of the in-form players in the league. Once Goyat returns from injury and Devadiga finds his rhythm, U.P. Yoddha’s attacking trio will be difficult for any defensive unit to contain. Their defence also looks like a settled unit with skipper Nitesh Kumar and Sumit dictating the play. Sumit has been a revelation this year and, along with his captain, has made U.P. Yoddha a feared defensive setup.     

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Form guide:

Played: 13

Won: 5

Tied: 1

Lost: 7

Win rate: 38.46%

Best Raider: Rohit Gulia

Best Defender: Sunil Kumar

Gujarat Fortunegiants, meanwhile, will take confidence from the fact that they have never been beaten by U.P. Yoddha in vivo Pro Kabaddi and they will be hoping to add more momentum to their resurgence, which has seen them lose just one of their past four games. The return of Sachin Tanwar has come as a welcome boost to their raiding unit in recent matches. All-rounder Rohit Gulia has had to carry most of the responsibility in attack for the two-time finalists through the season. But Sachin’s return from injury has seen some of that pressure being shared. More GB is another player who is capable of getting raid points and is known to deliver in crunch situations. After a few uncharacteristic games defensively, Gujarat Fortunegiants’ defence seems to be back to its imperious best. That said, skipper Sunil Kumar and Cover Parvesh Bhainswal will be looking for more consistency going into the business end of the campaign. With plenty of all-rounder support in the team, it will be up to Sunil and Parvesh to organise and guide them on the mat.