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In the all-important final of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5, it will the new entrants Gujarat Fortunegiants clashing against the defending champions, Patna Pirates to claim the crown at stake at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
LIVE COMMENTARY: Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Patna Pirates, PKL 5 Final, 28 October 2017
The Gujarat Fortunegiants absolutely decimated the Bengal Warriors in the 1st qualifier to seal their spot in the finals earlier this week. While the Patna Pirates made the cut to the finals through a tougher route winning a couple of knockout fixtures and defeating the Warriors in the second qualifier.
The head-to-head between these two teams stands 2-0 in favour of the Gujarat Fortunegiants and they will be on the hunt for hattrick in tonight's encounter.
The Fortunegiants have been one of the stronger teams in the league with a well-balanced unit comprising of 4 out-and-out defenders in the likes of Iranian corners, Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani and the Indian covers, Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal. The coach faces the problem of plenty when it comes to the raiders with the likes of Sukesh Hegde, Sachin, Rohit Gulia, Chandran Ranjit, Mahendra Rajput and Rakesh Narwal, all ready to take to the mat, well capable of ensuring that the scoreboard keeps ticking.
The Patna Pirates, on the other hand, have majorly relied on Pardeep's rampant attacks that have given them the edge over other teams with the skipper amassing an average of at least 14 points in every match. He is supported in the attack by Monu and young all-rounder Vijay. However, it is the defence which is an area of concern for Patna with the likes of Vishal Mane and Sachin Shingade not being up to the mark while Jawahar Dagar and Jaideep have been sporadic with their good performances.
Moreover, there is also a build-up to this final battle with both the coaches speaking up prior to the fixture with Manpreet saying to Sportskeeda that, "Since the tournament has started, we have played with tremendous confidence. There is no doubt, we will lift the trophy. We have not let Pardeep score a super 10 in our previous two matches. We are keenly waiting to play Patna in the finals, it will be a little easier for us to win the title then." The Patna coach, Ram Meher Singh responded to this with equal fervour and gusto when he said that, ""Look, we're two-time champions. But we've never been cocky in press conferences. If God and my players give me the opportunity, I wish to sit with Manpreet and do a press conference after the final."
Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Patna Pirates match prediction
If one has to call the match, the advantage would slightly tilt in favour of the Gujarat Fortunegiants given the fact that they display an all-round performance while Patna seems hapless in the absence of Pardeep Narwal. Thus, if Gujarat can manage to keep Pardeep out of the equation like they did in their two previous matches then they can ease their way to the Pro Kabaddi Season 5 crown.
