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The Pro Kabaddi League 2018 playoffs continued on at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi as the first qualifier saw the Gujarat Fortune Giants take on the Bengaluru Bulls. The two table toppers from their respective zones clashed for a place in the finals to be held in Mumbai later this week.
Gujarat Fortune Giants came into this match on the back of a reassuring win over the Patna Pirates where they fielded most of their bench players and rested their key raiding stars. The Gujarat defense has been one of the most stable forces this season and backed themselves to come out on top against the Bengaluru Bulls' raiding unit.
Bengaluru Bulls' raiding unit was led by the skipper Rohit Kumar and Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, the league' top scoring raider so far. They secured their top spot in Zone B on the final day of the Kolkata leg and aimed to utilize their raiding strength to overcome the defensive capabilities of the Gujarat Fortune Giants. They made a few changes in their defensive setup bringing in Ankit and Ajay in place of Ashish Sangwan and Raju Lal Choudhary.
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Bengaluru Bulls pulled off a strong all-around performance as they staved off the challenge from the Gujarat Fortune Giants' raiders to turn around the first half deficit. Bengaluru Bulls were highly effective in the second half as Pawan Kumar Sehrawat pulled off two Super Raids to trigger all-outs on the Gujarat side. Rohit Kumar and Mahender Singh got High 5s in the second half to keep the Gujarat raiders in check.
Bengaluru Bulls ended up winning 41-29 to become the first side to enter the finals of this year's Pro Kabaddi League.
Gujarat Fortune Giants
Sunil Kumar - (2/10)
The Gujarat Fortune Giants' skipper was targeted on multiple occasions by the Bengaluru Bulls' raiders and had no tackle points in the entire match.
Parvesh Bhainswal - (3/10)
The top scoring defender of the Gujarat side also had a slow start in the first half and made a couple of hasty tackles. He finished with one tackle point from five tackle attempts tonight.
Ruturaj Koravi - (4/10)
The right corner was guilty of putting in hasty tackles with his body hold attempts and conceded three touch points in the first half of the match. He had two tackle points from a total of seven attempted tackles tonight.
Sachin Vittala - (2/10)
Sachin Vittala operated on the left corner for the Fortune Giants but was ineffective tonight and was replaced by Hadi Oshtorak towards the end of the first half.
Rohit Gulia - (4/10)
The all-rounder was used as the third raider by the Gujarat side and scored a couple of raid points in the first half but had a lot of empty raids. He finished with three points on the night.
Sachin Tanwar - (7/10)
The star raider was in fine form throughout the match chipping in points with his running hand touches and had seven raid points in the first half. He kept the momentum going in the second period and scored a Super 10 tonight.
K Prapanjan - (6/10)
The raider played the perfect second fiddle role to Sachin Tanwar picking up points in crucial situations. He had five raid points in the match tonight.
Substitutes:
Hadi Oshtorak - (6/10)
The Iranian defender replaced Sachin Vittala on the left corner of the Gujarat defense and made an immediate impact with his ankle holds scoring three tackles. He added two raid points as well in the second half.
Lalit Chaudhary and Dharmender
While they too came in as substitutes but couldn't leave much of an impression on the match.
Bengaluru Bulls
Rohit Kumar - (8.5/10)
Bengaluru Bulls' skipper Rohit Kumar was active in both the attack and defense on the mat. He managed to score six crucial raid points and got a High 5 as well with his ankle holds from the In position.
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat - (9/10)
The star raider of the Bulls' lineup looked in fine touch against a solid Gujarat outfit scoring timely raid points with his speed on the mat. He scored two key Super Raids in the second half triggering the all-out on the Gujarat side wrapping up the win on the night.
Kashiling Adake - (3/10)
The all-rounder was ineffective tonight for the Bulls and was replaced at the end of the first half of the match after failing to score a point.
Mahender Singh - (7/10)
The young defender was in fine form throughout the match playing in various positions on the mat for the Bulls. He finished with six tackle points putting in a High 5 performance with strong tackles against the Gujarat raiders.
Ajay - (5/10)
The youngster played in the cover position for the Bulls tonight but conceded a few touches in the first half before getting his first tackle point. He added another tackle point before being substituted in the second half.
Amit Sheoran - (4/10)
The left corner was unable to score any tackle points tonight but was a strong support to his fellow defenders with assists.
Ankit - (3/10)
The young defender did not have any tackle point after starting tonight. He was replaced in the second half of the match.
Substitutes:
Sumit Singh - (4/10)
The raider came off the bench to score a couple of key points as the last raider on the mat for the Bulls.
Harish Naik - (3/10)
The raider was put in for a while in the second half and managed one raid point.
Ashish Kumar Sangwan and Raju Lal Choudhary
Usually a regular part of the Bulls' starting lineup, they didn't start the match today but came in as substitutes in the second half. While they could not score any points, they did provide the solidity that the defense of the Bulls' lacked in the first half.
