The Gujarat Fortune Giants will take on the Bengal Warriors in an Inter Zone Challenge Match at the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 on Friday. This will be Gujarat's first home match and the side are at the third spot in Zone A and last played and won against U Mumba while Bengal Warriors received a hammering from the Patna Pirates and are at the fifth spot in Zone B.
Gujarat's raiders were good against U Mumba though one can say that Mahendra Rajput's unbelievable final raid won them the game. Sachin was consistent yet again with 9 points and Dong Geon Lee scored 2 points. Mahendra Rajput scored 5 points off his only successful raid while Prapanjan scored 3 points.
They were good with the defense when it mattered the most and it helped them come back into the game in many crunch situations. Parvesh Bhainswal continued with his scintillating season with 4 points while fellow cover defender and captain Sunil Kumar scored 3 points. Ruturaj Koravi scored 2 points while Sachin Vittala blanked.
Bengal were thrashed by the Pirates and one main reason was their lack of raid points. Amit Nagar, the substitute, scored 6 raid points and 1 tackle point while Maninder Singh scored 6 points. Jang Kun Lee managed only 2 points while Rakesh Narwal came on from the bench to score 3 points.
Bengal's defense was not bad on the night and scored 10 tackle points. The corners Ran Singh and Baldev Singh as well as Adarsh T scored 3 points each while Surjeet Singh's lack of form affected them as the veteran blanked for the first time this season. They must tame the young yet exuberant Gujarat raiders.
This will be an important encounter for both the sides and Gujarat will go to the second spot in Zone A if they win. Bengal must look to fire on all cylinders if they want to manage a win against an all-round strong Gujarat while Gujarat must look to be more decisive and avoid taking matches down to the wire.
Predicted Lineups: Gujarat Fortune Giants-Sunil Kumar(C), Parvesh Bhainswal, Sachin Vittala, Ruturaj Koravi, Sachin, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, Rohit Gulia/ Dong Geon Lee
Bengal Warriors- Bengal Warriors: Surjeet Singh (c), Shrikanth Tewatia, Maninder Singh, Jang Kun Lee, Ran Singh, Adarsh and Baldev Singh
When and where to watch: 18th November at 8:00 PM IST on Star Sports 2; also available on Hot Star