We are in for an intriguing contest on Saturday when the Giants battle the Bengal Warriors at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata. With 5 wins and 30 points, we are currently placed 8th in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 standings, and a win against the gritty Bengal side at their fortress could take us up to 6th spot on the table.

The Giants produced a sumptuous display to not only defeat the Bulls at their home den, but also complete the double over the defending Champions in Season 7. With both teams set to fight tooth and nail in the second half of the season to finish in the top six, we need to keep the winning momentum intact, and can’t afford any more slip-ups in the upcoming matches.

It was a nerve-wracking battle when these two teams met in Ahmedabad before Prapanjan took out Vinod to steal a 2-point win for the Warriors. There is no doubt that our defence struggled against Prapanjan, as he was tackled only once and so Manpreet will have to come up with a different strategy to stop the raider.

The Warriors were in the driving seat in the opening 20 minutes, but our captain, Sunil Kumar, clawed us back into the contest with stunning super tackles in the second half to make the contest exciting.

He was also at the peak of his prowess against the Bulls, completing his fourth high five of the season.

The main highlight of our most recent contest was that Sunil and Parvesh’s combination tackles worked splendidly against the Bulls. They showed no mercy to the leading raider of Season 7, Pawan Sehrawat, who was sent off the mat on four occasions.

A lot of pressure will fall on the shoulders of Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal, and we will count on that duo to fire on all cylinders to keep the Bengal raiders at bay. More GB’s all-round brilliance was also key to our win against the Bulls, and Manpreet will be expecting even more consistency from him.

Our attack has become fearsome again, mainly due to Sachin Tanwar’s return from injury. He produced a game-changing moment against the Bulls by taking out two players in the dying moments, much to the delight of our coach.

It promises to be a breathtaking battle when Sachin goes toe-to-toe against the experienced Jeeva Kumar.

Key Giant

Rohit Gulia

All eyes and hopes were on Sachin Tanwar before the start of Season 7, but it’s Rohit Gulia who has caught everyone’s attention so far with 62 raid points in 12 matches. He has justified the faith put in him by Manpreet with spectacular performances, and he will surely be a vital cog in our attack on Saturday.

Even though he had a forgettable outing against the Warriors with just a solitary raid point, we are confident that he will come up with the goods against Bengal’s defence..

Head-To-Head

All our matches against the Warriors in the league have been enticing for the fans, and there is no doubt another epic encounter is on the cards. At the moment, we hold a slender lead in the head to head battle, leading 2-1, and this is the first time we will face the Warriors at their home den.

Predicted Line up

It is expected that Sumit and Ankit will keep their places in the starting seven after a decent outings against the Bulls. Even though Sonu Jaglan performed brilliantly against the Warriors in Ahmedabad, Manpreet could opt for the same line-up that came out victorious in our last outing.

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