PKL 2019 | We want to win title for our fans, says Neer Gulia
Gujarat Fortunegiants co-coach Neer Gulia has expressed his delight on the backing they have received from their fans and how the team is determined to win the title this time. Gulia has also praised youngster Sachin Tanwar for his performance with the team in the raiding department.
Gujarat Fortunegiants have undoubtedly been the most consistent team for the past two seasons. They have managed to reach the finals on both the occasions but missed their opportunity to grab the trophy. They have been supported by their fans throughout the tournament and the fans express their love for the team by turning out in big numbers at the home stadium.
“The people in Ahmedabad are just amazing, whenever we play there, our fans totally get behind us and that’s very encouraging for any team. We are really hoping to give them a gift by winning the PKL trophy this time,” Gulia was quoted as saying by the Gujarat Fortunegiants' official website.
The Giants didn’t have any big names in their team to begin with. They have managed to get their combinations right and every match they have witnessed a new hero taking them through the game. One of the biggest reasons for this was smart selections and coaching by Neer Gulia and Manpreet Singh. The duo has successfully managed the team for two years now.
“Manpreet and I have been friends for the last 21 years, we made our debut for India in 1998 and Manpreet is one of the finest players to have ever represented India in Kabaddi, he is more like an elder brother to me,” Gulia said.
There have been excellent young picks from the Gujarat side and they have managed to take in raw young talent and hone their skills to produce best performances.
“A lot of people were surprised when we picked Sachin for 40 lakhs in season 5 auction, but we had seen him play and we knew that he has the potential to be an excellent raider and under the right guidance he could turn out to be a match-winner which he has surely become for us,” Gulia explained.
They made an unexpected move by making Sunil Kumar the captain in season 6. Talking about this decision Gulia said, “Sunil is a very calm person and has a very cool head on his shoulders which is exactly what a captain requires, so when we were looking for a leadership change in season 6, Sunil was an automatic choice.”
Sunil Kumar and Pravesh Bhainswal have been the backbone of defence for the Fortune Giants in season 6 and also in their opening game of season 7. They scored 8 points collectively in the first match of the season and they looked well-coordinated and in-sync with each other.
“Very few people know that Sunil and Parvesh are cousins and have grown up playing Kabaddi together so they know each other really well and both are extremely hard working and they really slog it out in the training,” Gulia concluded.