PKL 9: Gujarat Giants will look to make a comeback against UP Yoddhas

All eyes will be on the 'Record Breaker' Pardeep Narwal.

Gujarat Giants has started the Hyderabad leg on a losing note to Bengaluru Bulls (38-45) and are going through a rough patch after a good start to season 9. In the absence of primary Rakesh Kumar, captain Chandran Ranjith and youngster Partheek Dahiya stood up and scored super 10s in the last encounter which did not prove to be sufficient.

UP Yoddhas on the other hand lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers (29-42) in the last encounter comprehensively. UP Yoddhas did not score a single point in the first five minutes and were on the verge of an all-out without scoring a point showing the team’s ineffective defence. Pardeep Narwal continued from where he left and scored yet another super 10.

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Gujarat Giants

Raiders: Chandran Ranjit, Mahendra Rajput, Dong Geon Lee, Purna Singh, Sonu, Pardeep Kumar, Rakesh, Gaurav Chhikara, Sohit, Sonu Singh, Sawin

Defenders: Vinod Kumar, Young Chang Ko, Rinku Narwal, Baldev Singh, Sourav Gulia, Sandeep Kandola, Manuj, Kapil, Ujjval Singh

All-rounders: Arkam Shaikh, Parteek Dhaiya, Rohan Singh, Shankar Gadai

UP Yoddhas

Raiders: Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, Nitin Tomar, Anil Kumar, Mahipal, Rohit Tomar, Aman, Durgesh Kumar, Rathan K, Gulveer Singh

All-Rounders: Gurdeep, Nehal Desai, Nitin Panwar

Defenders: Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Ashu Singh, Shubham Kumar, Abozar Mohajermighani, Babu M, Jaideep

Head-to-Head

Gujarat Giants and UP Yoddhas have faced each other eight times in the Pro Kabaddi League out of which, Gujarat has won five matches whereas UP Yoddhas has come out victorious on only one occasion with two matches ending in a tie.

Player to watch

Pardeep Narwal the “Dubki King" shall be the player to watch out for after scoring back-to-back super 10s against Dabang Delhi KC and Jaipur Pink Panthers. Surinder Gill was injured in the first half of the last match and may not feature in the next few matches as well. So Pardeep Narwal will be the lone warrior battling in the raiding department for UP Yoddhas with the inexperienced Rohit Tomar giving support.

Partheek Dahiya was back to the mat after a brief time due to an injury and scored a super 10 in the comeback match and has started from where he left off. The duo of Chandran Ranjith and Partheek Dahiya performed well in the last encounter and if Rakesh Kumar gets back to form then the opposing team shall be under pressure as they will be battling with three quality raiders.

Key to Sucess

The defence of Gujarat Giants has not performed well and the defenders have indulged in many unsuccessful tackles off late. Sourav Gulia the cover defender was their crisis man in the initial matches but was out due to an injury which has hurt Gujarat. With Sourav Gulia back from injury the defensive unit shall look to stop Pardeep in the initial half itself as Surinder Gill might not be playing due to an injury helping their cause.

UP Yoddhas need to start with an aggressive approach which the team has been lacking. In the last encounter against Jaipur, UP Yoddha couldn't score a single point which cost them the game at the start itself. The defenders need to step up and stop the attacking trio of Rakesh, Ranjith, and Partheek Dahiya.

Did you Know

Prasanth Kumar Rai from Gujarat Giants has recently reached the 500 raid points mark in the 123 matches he has played so far in the Pro Kabaddi League.

Broadcast

Time - 08:30 PM

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