Season 9 of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League is upon us. Let’s look at some of the key players of the Gujarat Giants for this season.

Rakesh

The standout raider had an impressive 140 points in 22 games under his belt last season. A pillar in attack, he attempted 297 raids, with a success rate of 38%. He made raiding look effortless with 5 super 10s, 4 super raids, and a raid strike rate of 47%. Furthermore, he was not out 74.74% of the time and had 6.36 raid points per match, so Giants’ success will hinge on his form this season.

Chandran Ranjit

Despite playing 19 games for the Bengaluru Bulls last season, he remained not out 71.89% of the time while earning 90 points. His performances saw him being picked up by the Giants and he was also chosen as their captain to lead them in the latest campaign. On the attacking front, he attempted 185 raids with a great success rate of 33%. He even had 3 super raids and 1 super 10 while averaging 4.21 raid points per game. Defensively, he had 1 super tackle, and an overall tackle success rate of 56%. A deadly combination of raid strike rate (43%) and tackle strike (63%) his all-round performances play a pivotal role this season.

Mahendra Rajput

He earned 65 points last season with an average of 3.53 raids per match. Out of 119 raids attempted, he had a success rate of 39%. He remained not out 73.95% of the time, his raid strike rate was 50% and his tackle strike rate was 42%. Mahendra also had a 33% success rate in tackles. He will be an additional asset to the team.

Pardeep Kumar

He will be a significant influence on his team, he earned 79 points last season, with an average of 4.41 points per match. He was not out 72.97% of the time. Out of 148 raids he had a success rate of 36% along with 3 super raids and 1 super 10. He had a raid strike rate of 51%. Defensively, he had a 20% tackle strike rate and 20% tackle success rate.

Rinku Narwal

Rinku is one of the key figures in the defensive department, his tackle strike rate is 28% and he has not been out 100% of the time. He averaged 1.25 successful tackles per game

Shankar Gadai

We had our eyes on this young talent since he played in the final of Senior National Kabaddi Championship with Team Maharastra. Since he has plenty of experience as the captain of Maharashtra, we expect him to bolster our defence this season.

Arkam Shaikh

He is another young prospect on the team sheet and a player of Maharashtra. While he is an all rounder he is expected to fill in the corner defence.

Sourav Gulia

Another fundamental part of the defensive line, he has a tackle strike rate of 50% and has averaged 1.67 successful tackles per game.

The key to success for Gujarat Giants will be attack and defense working together in unison and the all-rounders doing their work diligently.