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Puneri Paltan will take on last season's finalist Gujarat Fortunegiants at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune tomorrow evening to kick-start their home leg.
Puneri Paltan are coming off a splendid win against the Haryana Steelers and would look to continue their terrific display in attack and defense.
Key positives for the Paltan in the last game were the performance of the young all-rounder Akshay Jadhav, who scored a total of 8 points including 6 tackle points, and the return to form of one of their primary raiders, Rajesh Mondal, who contributed with 7 raid points and proved to be effective support to Nitin Tomar.
The Paltan's playing 7 looks almost set; the only dilemma that remains is the selection of the third raider, and the management would most likely favor the more consistent G.B. More over Deepak Kumar Dahiya, who has struggled to find his rhythm.
The Fortunegiants, on the other hand, are coming off a 5-day break and would look to make the loss to the Steelers an exception rather than the norm.
They lost due to their lack of discipline and coordination in the defense, and an exceptional performance by the Steelers' left corner, Kuldeep Singh.
Hadi Oshtorak, with all his experience and skill, needs to be included in the playing 7 in the left corner where C Kalai Arasan has struggled to deliver. Another option for the left corner could be Sachin Vittala, who was highly spoken of during the training camp.
Mahendra Rajput is the perfect substitute to come in and take a bonus point off the oppositions or effect a super-raid, but playing him in the starting 7 restricts the flexibility that can be offered by someone like Rohit Gulia who did well in the Fortunegiants' first match of the season against Dabang Delhi.
Probable playing 7:
Puneri Paltan: Girish Ernak (c), Nitin Tomar, Rajesh Mondal, G.B.More/Deepak Kumar Dahiya, Sandeep Narwal, Ravi Kumar, and Akshay Jadhav
Gujarat Fortunegiants: Sunil Kumar (c), Sachin, K.Prapanjan, Mahendra Rajput/Rohit Gulia, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ruturaj Koravi, and Hadi Oshtorak
When and where to watch: 21.00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar.
