Defending champions Bengaluru Bulls will lock horns with last season’s finalists Gujarat Fortune Giants in the 67th match of Pro Kabaddi 2019 in the first home leg for the Bulls at the Sree Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru.
Bengaluru Bulls looked at ease against a balanced Jaipur side in the last match as they beat them by 11 points and made sure they ticked all the boxes from that game.
Their lead raider Pawan Kumar Sehrawat looks unstoppable at the moment. Having scored 137 points at an average of 11.63 so far, he has sent chills down the spines of the opposition’s defense. He is this season’s most successful raider and the under-pressure Gujarat defense may well have a tough time stopping him.
Bengaluru fans have another reason to celebrate as their skipper Rohit Kumar joined the party with a timely super 10 against Jaipur. He hasn’t been at his best this season and will hope that he carries on with this momentum.
Their left and right covers - Mahender Singh & Mohit Sehrawat along with left corner Saurabh Nandal, scored a high-five each in the previous game. Amit Sheoran has also looked solid and it looks like Bengaluru have brought out the best from these youngsters.
Bengaluru Bulls Form Guide: W L W W W L L W L L W
On the contrary, Gujarat Fortunegiants have had a below-average campaign. They have lost 7 matches out of 11 and their test gets even tougher against a raging Bengaluru team.
Gujarat were hammered by Haryana by a margin of 16 points in their last match. Not a single player from Gujarat managed to score even 5 points as things went from bad to worse for the giants.
Sachin Tanwar missed the last match and his replacement Abolfazl Maghsoudlou looked decent. But his 4 points did not make any significant impact against Haryana’s might. Rohit Gulia and GB More also looked average. These players are assisting raiders and not strike raiders and that fact has turned things against Gujarat.
Their biggest worry, however, is the failure of Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar. They have been known for their collective tackles but they haven’t made the same impact this season. Gujarat made a lot of changes in the last match and that indicates the uncertainty within this team.
Gujarat Fortunegiants Form Guide: W W W L L L L L L W L
Predicted Starting 7s
Bengaluru Bulls: Pawan Sehrawat, Rohit Kumar (C), Banty, Mahender Singh, Saurabh Nandal, Amit Sheoran, Mohit Sehrawat.
Gujarat Fortunegiants: Sachin Tanwar, GB More, Rohit Gulia, Ruturaj Koravi, Sunil Kumar (C), Parvesh Bhainswal, Sumit.
Match Prediction
Bengaluru have looked comprehensive in this season and will sense the opportunity of adding 5 points to their tally against a struggling Gujarat team.
The Fortune Giants can only hope that their season gets better. And that depends largely on the performance of their defensive front. But they will have a big job on their hands against Pawan’s form on the raiding front.
Bengaluru Bulls are expected to beat Gujarat tonight.
Where and when to watch
Date: Saturday, 31st August 2019
Start time: 7:30 pm IST
Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru
Live telecast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Hotstar
Live updates: Sportskeeda