In the second match of the Haryana leg, Gujarat Fortune Giants will face Tamil Thalaivas at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex, Panchkula on Saturday at 8:30 PM.

Our Giants have decimated opponents in the group phases over the last two seasons of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League. Season 7, however, has been a rollercoaster ride for us so far but we still have a mathematical chance of making it to the playoffs if we win all our four remaining matches.

Our first test will be against the bottom-placed Tamil Thalaivas before taking on the home team Haryana Steelers on Sunday. After crushing the defending champions Bengaluru Bulls, we have been on a winless run extending to six encounters, and there is no doubt that victory against the Thalaivas will instill the confidence we so desperately need at the moment.

With eight teams fighting for the last three spots, a win would definitely keep us in the hunt for the playoffs. The biggest question is what will Manpreet’s Starting Seven be to tackle the challenges of the Thalaivas and get us all five points on the night.

The drive and desire that Sunil Kumar showed in the middle phase of the tournament was a sight to behold, but his dip in form in recent matches has been a concern for Manpreet. All eyes will be centered around him on Saturday and a high five performance against Tamil Thalaivas will surely reignite the fire in him.

Parvesh Bhainswal’s defensive brilliance helped us secure a tie in a thrilling match against Jaipur Pink Panthers, but he couldn’t replicate his heroics against U Mumba, picking up just the solitary tackle point.

Manpreet has tried different combinations in the corner but we are yet to see a justifying performance from a defender in that position. It remains to be seen whether Manpreet opts for Pankaj and Ruturaj or brings in Sumit and Ankit to stop the Thalaivas’ raiding unit.

In the attack, Rohit Gulia has been in impeccable form, notching up 23 raid points in the last three matches. The underlying problem is that Rohit hasn’t been getting enough support from Sachin Tanwar and More GB. A combined team effort, something we haven’t seen much of in the tournament, will be pivotal for us to get the much-needed win.

Key Giant:

Sachin Tanwar

Big time players make big time plays to win big matches. Whenever we were in trouble in the last two years, Sachin has always been Manpreet’s go-to-man and he has repaid his faith and won us numerous matches in crunch situations.

With the Giants needing to win all their remaining four matches, the stakes are incredibly high and if there’s one man we can pin our hopes to change our fortunes it is none other than Sachin Tanwar. Statistically speaking too, Sachin has taken 27 points from previous encounters, averaging 9 points per match against them.

Head-To-Head

Tamil Thalaivas lead the Head-to-Head battle at 2-1, but considering that they are on a 12-match winless streak, we have the upper hand heading into this fixture.

Predicted Line up

Rohit Gulia (C),Sunil Kumar, Sachin Tanwar, Ruturaj Koravi, Pankaj, More GB, Parvesh Bhainswal.