Pro Kabaddi 2019, Bengaluru Bulls vs Gujarat Fortune Giants: Homecoming did not favour the Bulls as the Giants crush them
The defending champions, Bengaluru Bulls were all set to play on their home ground after two long years, at the Pro Kabaddi League Season 7. Having vanquished Abhishek Bachchan's Jaipur Pink Panthers in their previous battle, the Bulls were coming into Match No. 67 with a boost of confidence.
Gujarat Fortune Giants, the two-time finalists, had a shabby performance in their last battle where they suffered a painful defeat to Haryana Steelers. Sitting on the eighth position, they required a victory in order to enhance their ranking on the points table.
Read to find out how the first collision of the #RivalryWeek between Bengaluru Bulls and Gujarat Fortune Giants unfolded at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru:
The Sachin of kabaddi, Sachin Tanwar, started for the Giants and was unlucky enough to be immediately flung off the mat. Rohit Gulia, the young Giant, pitched in the first point for the Gujarat-based franchise.
In his opening raid, Pawan Sehrawat, the high-flyer from Bengaluru, secured a dazzling point for his unit. An outstanding two-pointer by Sachin brought the score to a deadlock on 4 each.
Both teams were fierce since the very commencement and brainy enough to avoid needless faults. The Bangalore-based Bulls conceded their first unexpected all-out of the night in the 15th minute of the deadly face-off as the Giants soared ahead. The young gun Saurabh Nandal was on fire, achieving his High 5 in the first twenty minutes itself.
At half-time, the Gujarat Fortune Giants inched ahead with the score 18-12. As the other half commenced, Pawan stole a clever bonus from the competitors, which was challenged by Gujarat. After they lost the review, Sehrawat was granted the bonus.
Yet another super-tackle by the Bulls reduced the score difference to just six points. Bizarrely enough, both Pawan and Rohit were kept mum by Gujarat's defense with the strong duo of Sunil and Parvesh being on fire.
With the Gujarat defense doing a fabulous job, Sachin initiated a successful two-pointer, extended the lead of his squad to five points.
On an ill-fated day for the home team, the Bulls suffered a dispiriting loss on the first day of their home leg. Gujarat, with an impeccable offense and defense, won the heated encounter with the score 32-23. Despite Saurabh's excellent endeavours, the Bulls ended up on the losing side due to a lack of sharpness in their offense.
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