PKL 2019: Defending champions Bengaluru Bulls begin their home leg against Gujarat Fortunegiants

Bengaluru, Aug 31: Bengaluru Bulls begin their home leg in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 by welcoming Gujarat Fortunegiants at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.

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The defending champions are currently fifth in the standings and can rise to third spot with a win over Gujarat Fortunegiants on Saturday. Gujarat Fortunegiants, on the other hand, have won just one of their last eight outings, but they’ll take heart from the fact that they’ve already beaten Bengaluru Bulls once this season.

After getting the better of Jaipur Pink Panthers in their last match, Bengaluru Bulls will fancy their chances against a beleaguered Gujarat Fortunegiants outfit. Skipper Rohit Kumar returned to form with a 13-raid points effort in Bengaluru Bulls’ last outing and he’ll want to continue his fine form against the two-time finalists.

Rohit in tandem with Pawan 'Hi-Flyer’ Sehrawat offer a big challenge to any opposition defence and with both stars now in top form; Gujarat Fortunegiants’ defence must be at their very best to even think about taking some points from the contest.

In defence, Mahender Singh has been Bengaluru Bulls’ leader for most of the season as shown in their last game, which saw him score six raid points. He along with Mohit Sehrawat, Saurabh Nandal and Amit Sheoran make for a formidable defence to penetrate for any opposition side.

Gujarat Fortunegiants, meanwhile, lost their previous outing against Haryana Steelers and they must turn around their recent run of results soon, if they’re still hoping to make the playoffs. The two-time finalists have won just four matches so far with three of those victories coming in their opening three games of the season.

It is imperative for Gujarat Fortunegiants to end their slump against Bengaluru Bulls to keep their qualification hopes alive and a win over the defending champions once already this season can only be good for their confidence. However, they’ll need both their offence and defence to return to their best for that to happen again. Their usually tight defence has been a bit loose this year, which is something captain Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal and Ruturaj Koravi need to correct at the earliest.

Gujarat Fortunegiants’ offence hasn’t been at their best either with all-rounder Rohit Gulia as their leading raid points scorer. While Gulia’s performances are encouraging, the all-rounder can’t do it all himself and will require more support from the likes of More GB, Sonu and Abolfazl Maghsodlou in attack.

Match starts at 7:30pm IST

Live on Star Sports Network

Source: PKL Website