Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five talking points from Day 4 of PKL 5

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After a day's break, Pro Kabaddi Season 5 resumed with the final two new teams on display.

It was a superb debut for the Gujarat Fortunegiants who hammered Dabang Delhi in the first game with a smart and controlled showing to get their campaign off on a winning note.

The Telugu Titans took to the mat for the second game of the night, looking to steady the ship after two straight losses. However, it was to be more misery for the home side as newcomers UP Yoddha registered a comprehensive win against them.

Here's a look at what stood out on a night when two new teams announced their arrival in a big way.

#1 Low risk, high reward works wonders for Gujarat

The game between the debuting Fortunegiants and Dabang Delhi was a low-scoring, slow-paced affair for much of the contest. And it was intentionally made so by the Fortunegiants.

With an elite defender like Fazel Atrachali in their ranks manning the left corner, and the right corner manned by his Iranian countryman Abozar Mighani, the Gujarat team opted to play to their strengths and lean on their defence.

Captained by former Telugu Titans raider Sukesh Hegde, the Fortunegiants’ raiders didn't take too many risks, opting to just use up the time more often than not while allowing their defence to neutralize Dabang’s dangerous raiders Meraj Sheykh and Abolfazl Maghsodlou. Delhi had zero raid points in the first 10 minutes and their captain Meraj spent over 13 minutes off the floor in the first half.

Though the final score read 26-20, it was never that close with Dabang only narrowing the margin after the Fortunegiants took their foot off the gas towards the end. It was a very calculated performance by the new side. Yes, there will be more challenging days ahead, but they look like a side with a clear plan and well thought out strategy.

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