PKL 2019 | 5Ws and 1H – Gujarat Fortunegiants

PKL 2019 | 5Ws and 1H – Gujarat Fortunegiants

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Gujarat Fortunegiants were one of the four teams to join the league in 2017 but they have performed consistently since then. After finishing the tournament at the second place in their debut season, the Ahmedabad-based side ended up on the losing side again in the last final against Bengaluru Bulls.

How they performed in the previous season?

Sunil Kumar led his team from the front in the sixth season of the league as they made it to the final for the second consecutive time. After ending the league stage at the top spot in Zone A, which also had a team like U Mumba, Gujarat got two chances to make it to the final and they did exactly that. Siddharth Desai’s injury in the Mumba camp helped Gujarat and they ended the league stage with 93 points from 22 matches. 

Gujarat were thrashed by Bengaluru Bulls in the first qualifier but winning the virtual semi-final against UP Yoddha helped them book a spot in the final. They were almost in the driver’s seat in the summit clash against the Bulls before the Pawan Sehrawat storm hit the Manpreet Singh-coached side and they finished the second-best team after losing the finale 33-38.

Who are the star players for the Fortunegiants?

Gujarat skipper Sunil will be noted as their best player and the star attraction in the team. He has led the team with some finest performances in the past and is expected to continue with that in the upcoming season as well. He forms a very good defensive combination at the covers with his cousin Bhainswal which makes Gujarat one of the deadliest defence units in the league.

Gujarat Fortunegiants Squad:

Sachin Tanwar, Sunil Kumar, Lalit Chaudhary, Rohit Gulia, Parvesh Bhainswal, Rituraj Koravi, Vinod Kumar, GB More, Amit Kharb, Abolfazl Maghsoudloumahali, Mohammad Shazid Hossain, Pankaj, Gurvinder Singh, Sonu, Abhishek, Sonu Gahlawat 

SportsCafe’s starting 7: 

Raider – Sachin

Left in – Rohit Gulia

Right in – Vinod Kumar

Left corner – Sonu Gahlawat

Right corner – Rituraj Koravi

Left cover – Parvesh Bhainswal

Right cover – Sunil Kumar (C)

What is their strength?

Almost each and everyone who follows the game knows the strength of the Fortunegiants. Led by Sunil Kumar, their defence has been their best department from the first edition of the tournament. Sunil and Bhainswal form a very good cover combination for the team this year as well. While Manpreet Singh had also decided to bring back right corner defender Ruturaj Koravi at the auctions earlier this year.

However, in addition to the strong defensive unit, Gujarat have some good young raiders as well. Sachin, who took up the role of being the primary raider last year was retained before the auctions. Apart from him, they will also have the services of Rohit Gulia, Vinod Kumar, GB More and Abolfazl Maghsoudlou which makes them a formidable raiding unit as well for the seventh edition. 

Where they might fall behind other teams?

The biggest issue that the team will face is the lack of a proper left corner defender before the start of the season. Most likely, the think tank will have to go with Sonu Gahlawat for that position after they decided to leave out Sachin Vittala from their last year’s side. With left corner being one of the important positions on the mat, let’s see what the 21-year-old youngster from Sonepat going to come up with in PKL 2019.

Why one should support Gujarat Fortunegiants?

Their consistency in their first two seasons of the tournament is the major reason why one should support the team as they look to go one step ahead to win the title in the seventh edition. Sunil, Bhainswal, Sachin are some of the players who have got a good fan base of their own and they like all other sides in the tournament get good home support during the matches in Ahmedabad. 

When they will play their games?

Gujarat Fortunegiants will start their campaign against the same team that stopped them from winning the title last year. The last year’s finalists will take on each other on July 21 in Hyderabad. The Gujarat side will play against their neighbours from Mumbai on August 2 and that is some rivalry that the Gujarat fans will be waiting to watch. Their home leg will start from August 10 at the TransStadia Arena and the first game will be played against Tamil Thalaivas. Telugu Titans, Bengal Warriors and Jaipur Pink Panthers are the other three opponents for the Fortunegiants in their home leg.  

Schedule

July 21 vs Bengaluru Bulls in Hyderabad

July 26 vs UP Yoddha in Hyderabad

August 1 vs Dabang Delhi in Mumbai

August 2 vs U Mumba in Mumbai

August 5 vs Puneri Paltan in Patna

August 10 vs Tamil Thalaivas in Ahmedabad

August 11 vs Telugu Titans in Ahmedabad

August 14 vs Bengal Warriors in Ahmedabad

August 16 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers in Ahmedabad

August 23 vs Patna Pirates in Chennai

August 28 vs Haryana Steelers in Delhi

August 31 vs Bengaluru Bulls in Bengaluru

September 7 vs Bengal Warriors in Kolkata

September 9 vs UP Yoddha in Kolkata

September 14 vs Puneri Paltan in Pune

September 15 vs Dabang Delhi in Pune

September 21 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers in Jaipur

September 22 vs U Mumba in Jaipur

September 28 vs Tamil Thalaivas in Panchkula

September 29 vs Haryana Steelers in Panchkula

October 5 vs Patna Pirates in Greater Noida

October 7 vs Telugu Titans in Greater Noida

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