PKL 9: Tamil Thalaivas to clash with Gujarat Giants on day 2

Ram Mehar Singh will be in coaching role for the two time finalist Giants side.

Tamil Thalaivas will be eager to start the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 9 well against Gujarat Giants and get to the playoffs for the first time since their inception in season 5. Season 8 was a topsy-turvy season where the southern side tied 6 matches and couldn't progress to the playoffs due to small errors.

Gujarat Giants after finishing finalists in seasons 5 and 6 will look to stamp their mark in this season 9 as well but will be without their coach Manpreet Singh who has been replaced by Ram Mehar Singh. Ram Mehar has guided Patna Pirates to multiple titles and will look to start his new campaign on a bright note.

Team News

Gujarat Giants

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

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

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

Tamil Thalaivas

Raiders: Pawan Sehrawat, Ajinkya Ashok Pawar, Himanshu, Jatin, Himanshu, Sachin

All-Rounders: Thanushan Laxmamohan, Visvanath V, K Abhimanyu

Defenders: Sagar, Sahil, M Abishek, Mohit, Himanshu, Ashish, Md Arif Rabbani, Arpit Saroha, Ankit

Head to Head

Gujarat Giants hold a formidable 4-2 lead against the Tamil Thalaivas. In the last three encounters since season 7 Gujarat has beaten the southern side in all the encounters. 

Player to watch out for

Gujarat Giants are heavily banking on their youngsters to come good with the addition of Shankar Gadai who has performed well in the Yuva Kabaddi series. Tamil Thalaivas will rely heavily on Pawan Sehrawat who will have to shoulder the responsibility both as a captain and raider.

Key to Success

Both team do not possess star players except Pawan Kumar Sehrawat from Tamil Thalaivas. The defence for both the teams will play a vital role with Sagar from Tamil Thalaivas who was the 2nd best defender in PKL season 8. Unlike other teams, the match will be played with collective team effort meaning all the players have to contribute equally.

Did you know

Pawan Sehrawat becomes the highest bid player in the history of the Pro Kabaddi league going for 2.26 crores to Tamil Thalaiavas. 

Broadcast

Time - 08:30 PM

Streaming - Star Sports / Disney + Hotstar