Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Qualifier 1: Gujarat Fortune Giants vs Bengaluru Bulls | Match Preview, Predicted Lineups, When & Where to watch
In the Qualifier 1 of PKL 2018, Gujarat Fortune Giants take on the Bengaluru Bulls at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi tomorrow, Monday at 8 pm IST.
It's a clash of the table toppers, as both Gujarat Fortune Giants and Bengaluru Bulls topped their respective Zone A and Zone B points table to qualify for the Qualifier 1.
The Fortune Giants finished with 93 points off 22 matches, comprising of 17 wins, 3 losses, and 2 ties.
Sachin, for the second consecutive season, was the Fortune Giants' best raider of the league stage with 161 points at an average of 8.05 raid points per match. However, it was their defence which again made the key difference and paved their way to the playoffs.
The Fortune Giants are the only team this season to have more than one defender in the top-5 of the best defenders' list. Parvesh Bhainswal, their left cover, is placed third on the list with 81 tackle points, while his captain, Sunil Kumar is just a step below at fourth with 69 tackle points.
These two cousins from Sonepat, Haryana have been key to the successes of the Fortune Giants and their performance would remain the deciding factor in their upcoming game against the Bulls.
The Bengaluru Bulls finished their league stage with 78 points off 22 matches which was a result of 13 wins, 7 losses, and 2 tied encounters.
For the first time in six seasons, we have a Bull at the top of the most raid points list, and Pawan Kumar Sehrawat truly deserves it. The young raider came into his own this season from the very first match that he featured in. His season only got better from there as he scored 236 points at a terrific average of 10.73 raid points per match.
While the overall defence of the Bulls took some time to come into form, Mahender Singh, the young left cover left an impression on the season with his 55 tackle points.
Previous Meetings
The two teams, Gujarat Fortune Giants and Bengaluru Bulls, have faced each other just once in the league this season, in Match 69, which ended in a tie with a 30-30 scoreline.
Key Battles to keep an eye on
#1 Pawan Kumar Sehrawat (right raider) vs Sunil Kumar (right cover)
#2 Sachin (right raider) vs Amit Sheoran (left corner)
Probable playing 7
Gujarat Fortune Giants: Sunil Kumar (c), Sachin, K.Prapanjan, Rohit Gulia, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ruturaj Koravi, and Sachin Vittala
Bengaluru Bulls: Rohit Kumar (c), Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Kashiling Adake, Ashish Kumar Sangwan, Mahender Singh, Amit Sheoran, and Raju Lal Choudhary
When and where to watch: 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on digital streaming platform Hotstar.