After a tough loss against Puneri Paltan, Gujarat Fortune Giants will take to the mat within 24 hours to face the table-toppers Dabang Delhi at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex tonight. With 34 points from 15 matches, the Giants must beat the Dabangs to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The defensive problem remains our biggest obstacle as Nitin Tomar and Manjeet got the better of Sunil and Co. yesterday. This is the second time in Season 7, our defence failed to stop the Paltan’s raiders and the big question that looms on Sunday is whether we will be able to respond strongly and dominate proceedings against Dabang’s leading raider, Naveen Kumar.

Even though we overpowered Delhi by a five-point margin in Mumbai, our defence didn’t have the best of outings against them. Sunil Kumar has to shoulder the responsibility of leading our defence, and if our captain fantastic fires today we have a great chance of doing the double over Delhi.

Parvesh Bhainswal pulled off some good tackles against the Paltans, which is a good sign for us heading into today’s match. Moreover, Parvesh has a very good record against Naveen and has tackled him successfully multiple times in the past.

Naveen had the better of Sumit and Ankit in the last meeting, and there is no doubt that the duo have to step up their game if we are to pose any serious threat to Delhi’s raiding unit.

Manpreet named Harmanjit and Lalit Chaudhary in the Starting 7 yesterday but the move didn’t pay dividends. He could go back to his more experienced players instead of the youth and start More GB and Rohit Gulia today.

More GB produced a brilliant all-round performance against the Dabangs in Mumbai, securing 5 raid points and 4 tackle points. While Rohit Gulia hasn’t been consistent in recent matches, his experience could be handy against the duo of Joginder Narwal and Ravinder Pahal.

Key Giant

Sachin Tanwar

Sachin at his peak is always a sight to behold for the Giant Army. Two back-to-back Super 10s would’ve instilled a lot of confidence in himself. We expect him to keep up his fine form and once again trouble the Dabang’s defence. His battle with Vishal Mane will be the one to watch out for tonight.

Head-To-Head

In the seven matches we have played against Dabang Delhi in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League, we have defeated them on six occasions. The Giants might be down and out after last night’s performance, a win against the table-toppers and doing the double over them will definitely give us huge belief. Who knows, it might just be the spark we need to revive our season too.

Line-up

There isn’t much room for experimentation, and Manpreet could opt for his trusted starting 7 for this massive game.

Sunil Kumar (C), Sachin Tanwar, Ankit, Sumit, Rohit Gulia, More GB, Parvesh Bhainswal