Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Gujarat Fortunegiants

"To begin with a bang" is an expression generally used to represent the first impression on a new stage and last year's debutante franchise Gujarat Fortunegiants certainly lived up to it. The Gujarat Fortunegiants sent shockwaves throughout the Pro Kabaddi League when they managed to reach the final in their debut campaign, losing out to champions Patna Pirates in the final held in Chennai.

The Gujarat Fortunegiants were coached by former Kabaddi player Manpreet Singh, who outfoxed all his opponents as the Fortunegiants put on dominating displays against the resident stalwarts of the game in the Pro Kabaddi League. A well-balanced side that comprised of experienced campaigners like Sukesh Hegde, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput and the Iranian duo of Fazel Atracheli and Abozar Mighani. The Iranian defenders were incredibly crucial for the success of the team as they thwarted off all the top raiders in the competition throughout the season. They also unearthed a new raiding gem for Indian kabaddi, the young and dynamic Sachin Tanwar who was the breakout star from Season 5 as he enthralled everyone with his performances on the mat.

Despite this, ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 auctions, the Fortune-group owned franchise only decided to retain their star raider Sachin Tanwar, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput and defender Sunil Kumar and let go of all their other stellar performers from the last season.

At the auction, the Fortunegiants managed to get back their young defender Parvesh Bhainswal back into their roster to reform the partnership with Sunil Kumar. They also added the services of highly rated young defender Rituraj Shivaji Koravi, who has been a revelation for Maharashtra team at the Kabaddi Nationals over the past year. They also picked up Sachin Vittala, who will be a handy addition to their defence as they aim to compensate for the loss of their Iranian stalwarts.

In addition to the raiding duo of Sachin Tanwar and Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, they signed another young and exciting prospect in the form of K Prapanjan, who impressed in his last stint with the Tamil Thalaivas alongside Indian national team captain Ajay Thakur.

Gujarat Fortunegiants added two foreigners to their ranks in the auctions, Dong Geon Lee and Hadi Oshtorak from South Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran respectively. The two foreign signings are highly experienced players who have been mainstays in their national sides and have considerable experience in the Pro Kabaddi League as well. A lot of young players were also snapped up by the Fortunegiants in order to build a deep bench which is necessary in the long season of the Pro Kabaddi League.

Here is the entire schedule of the Gujarat Fortunegiants for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 6.

Complete Schedule for the Gujarat Fortunegiants

Match #1

Date - 9 October

Opponent - Dabang Delhi K.C.

Venue - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai

Time - 20:00

Match #2

Date - 12 October

Opponent - Haryana Steelers

Venue - Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Sonipat

Time - 20:00

Match #3

Date - 18 October

Opponent - Puneri Paltan

Venue - Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Sonipat

Time - 21:00

Match #4

Date - 26 October

Opponent - Tamil Thalaivas

Venue - Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna

Time - 21:00

Match #5

Date - 30 October

Opponent - Puneri Paltan

Venue - Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna

Time - 20:00

Match #6

Date - 2 November

Opponent - Jaipur Pink Panthers

Venue - Greater Noida Sports Complex, Greater Noida

Time - 21:00

Match #7

Date - 4 November

Opponent - Dabang Delhi K.C.

Venue - Greater Noida Sports Complex, Greater Noida

Time - 20:00

Match #8

Date - 10 November

Opponent - U Mumba

Venue - NSCI Dome, Mumbai

Time - 21:00

Match #9

Date - 16 November

Opponent - Bengal Warriors