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In the first match of the double-header lined-up for today, last season's surprise package Gujarat Fortunegiants take on Dabang Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Led by the young right cover Sunil Kumar, the Gujarat Fortunegiants look all set to do one better and win the trophy this time around. While a lot of the positives from last season remain intact - a cool and motivated coach in Manpreet Singh, the raiding duo of Sachin Gulia and Mahendra Rajpoot, and the young and coordinated defense of Sachin Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal, it would be interesting to see how the team, especially the defense, reacts without the talismanic Iranian duo of Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani.
The Fortunegiants have made a few smart buys in this season's auction and have strengthened their squad with the acquisition of K.Prapanjan, the South Korean raider, Dong Geon Lee, and the Iranian defender Hadi Oshtorak.
Dabang Delhi K.C, on the other hand, had retained their Mr. Dependable, Meraj Sheykh, and have managed to assemble one of the most balanced teams in the tournament through the auction.
Led by the experienced Joginder Singh Narwal, the Dabangs boast of the most known defense among all the teams with the likes of Vishal Mane, Ravinder Pahal, Viraj Vishnu and Rajesh Narwal manning their corner.
The attack of the Delhi outfit is no joke either with a mix of experience and agility provided by the likes of Shabeer Bapu, Chandran Ranjit, Pawan Kumar Kadian, and Yogesh Hooda.
The Dabang Delhi team looks all set to lose their 'underperformers' tag this time around with a team that can give a tough competition to any other team in the tournament.
Probable playing 7:
Dabang Delhi K.C.: Joginder Narwal (c), Chandran Ranjit, Pawan Kumar Kadian/Shabeer Bapu, Rajesh Narwal, Meraz Sheyk, Vishal Mane, and Ravinder Pahal
Gujarat Fortunegiants: Sunil Kumar (c), Sachin Gulia, K.Prapanjan, Rohit Gulia, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ruturaj Koravi, and Hadi Oshtorak
When and where to watch: 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar
