The Pro Kabaddi caravan moves to the city of Ahmedabad and the first encounter will feature the home team, Gujarat Fortunegiants taking the battle across to U Mumba in the Arena.
The teams are coming into this clash on the back of contrasting results. U Mumba defeated Dabang Delhi 36-22 in Nagpur while the Gujarat Fortunegiants lost by a heavy margin against the Haryana Steelers.
LIVE COMMENTARY: Gujarat Fortunegiants vs U Mumba, 11 August 2017
U Mumba are captained by the talismanic Anup Kumar who has led the team from the front, playing an increased role in the initial matches not only as a raider but also as a defender. The attack is then assisted by the likes of other frontline raiders such as Kashiling Adake, Shabeer Bapu and Nitin Madane.
The defence though is generally considered the weak link and was the reason for their defeat in the first match. It is manned by Joginder Narwal, D. Suresh Kumar, Kuldeep Singh and young gun Surinder Singh who need to reprise their coordination from their side's win against Dabang Delhi.
The Gujarat Fortunegiants, on the other hand, have had a mixed run so far in the tournament and haven't been able to send across a statement of intent as such. The captain and lead raider, Sukesh Hegde has not been up to the mark and thus the responsibility lies on the shoulders of Mahendra Rajput, Rakesh Narwal and all-rounder Sachin. The defence is manned by Iranian imports, Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani, and they are supported by Manoj Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal.
Gujarat Fortunegiants vs U Mumba match prediction
The game will probably go in the favour of U Mumba given the experience they boast of in their starting seven. Shabeer and Anup pretty much know how to penetrate through the corner manned by Fazel Atrachali having played alongside him in the previous seasons.
Moreover, the defence of the visitors will be a force to reckon with for the Gujarat raiders for they will be up against some really seasoned defenders in the likes of Joginder and Suresh Kumar. Another aspect that may hurt the Gujarat cause is the form of Sukesh Hegde who has failed miserably this season.