In an edge-of-the-seat thriller against Haryana Steelers, Gujarat Fortune Giants lost by a solitary point at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex Panchkula, on Sunday. Rohit Gulia produced an incredible all-round performance with 11 points, but couldn’t clinch the decisive point in the buzzer raid.
Manpreet opted for the same Starting 7 that registered the Giants’ biggest ever win in VIVO PKL history on Saturday.
Rohit Gulia, went all guns blazing from the start and we witnessed a stunning Super Raid from our Captain in the second minute. Sonu Jaglan complemented Rohit and took down Ravi Kumar, but Haryana Steelers got three quick points to level the score at 6-6 in the 5th minute.
After Dharmaraj Cheralathan was sent to the bench, we gained the upper hand in the contest, courtesy of Sonu Jaglan’s impressive raids. Sonu got three raid points in quick succession and we enforced Haryana’s first All-Out in the 8th minute.
We took a 12-6 lead after the All-Out, however the Steelers responded back with four quick points and reduced the deficit to just 2 points.
More GB rescued us from a difficult situation by taking down Ravi Kumar before Parvesh pulled off a sensational tackle to pin down Vikas Kandola.
We extended the lead to five points, after two Haryana Steelers stepped into the lobby in the do-or-die raid. To rub salt into Haryana’s wounds, Pankaj tackled Prashant Kumar Rai with a stunning ankle hold, as we went into the break leading at 19-14.
Prashant Kumar Rai got the better off the Giants’ defence and picked four raid points at the start of the second half. Sunil tackled Sonu Jaglan to not only reduce the deficit to just one point but that also left us hanging with three players on the mat.
When it looked like the Steelers would inflict our first All-Out, Amit came up with a sensational Super Tackle to send Vikas Kandola to the bench.
With both teams going into an attacking mode, the momentum kept swinging like a pendulum in the third quarter of the match. Haryana Steelers once again came close to inflicting an All-Out, but Rohit Gulia’s Super tackle kept us fighting in the contest.
Vikas Kandola, who had a quiet second period, started to put pressure on our defence and eventually the Steelers enforced the All-Out in the 37th minute and took a lead at 34-33.
The Steelers got two quick points after the All-Out but the contest turned into a nerve-wracking one when More GB got Sunil Kumar with a smashing kick, before Rohit Gulia added two more raid points in the subsequent raid, reducing the gap to just one point.
With 30 seconds left in the match, the Giants had to tackle Vikas Kandola to level the scores, and once again Rohit Gulia came up with the goods in this crucial moment. The referee allowed one more raid before the final whistle, but Rohit Gulia was unfortunately dashed out by Sunil and that was the final nail in the coffin.
Full Time: Gujarat Fortune Giants 37-38 Haryana Steelers
It was a disappointing loss for the Giants as we led for most part of the game. The final leg of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Season will be held in Uttar Pradesh and the Giants will take on Patna Pirates on 5th October.
