Bengaluru Bulls Vs Gujarat Giants 11 February 2024

Full-Time
Bengaluru Bulls 28 - 50 Gujarat Giants

The Gujarat Giants become the 4th team to qualify for the playoffs after annihilating the Bengaluru Bulls by 22 points in this match, registering four all-outs in the process.

The Bulls shot themselves in the foot, constantly making unforced errors both in raid and defense, and their raiders struggled to create an impact for the most part, with Fazel Atrachali in fine form, and the cover combination also having a good game. Parteek Dahiya bullied the Bulls' defense into submission, having another flawless game in the raiding department, finishing with 13 raid points, as Nitin impressed off the bench.

For the Bulls, the scoreline could've been much worse had it not been for the two substitutes Rakshith and Vikash Khandola as their starting lineup had a poor outing. They'll look to salvage some pride and finish as high as possible on the points table in their remaining matches.

That'll be all from this Super Sunday, and this is Shreyas signing off! Good night!

2nd Half, 40'
Bengaluru Bulls 28 - 50 Gujarat Giants

Rakshith outmuscles Fazel to end the match with a 2-point raid, but it's nothing but a consolation prize as the Giants absolutely hammer the Bengaluru Bulls into submission, qualifying for the playoffs in the process. Ohh, the Bulls review for a 3rd point, and it is successful.

A Super Raid to bring this match to an end for the Bulls, but it doesn't make a difference as they're eliminated from the playoffs race as the Giants book their berth in the playoffs.

2nd Half, 39'
Bengaluru Bulls 23 - 50 Gujarat Giants

Points fly on both ends as the wheels come off for the Bulls. Nitin puts in a wonderful Super Raid and the Bulls are down to two now.

Balaji D also gets his 3rd tackle point of the match with a well-timed block on Rakhshith.

As a result, the Bulls are down to two, and Parteek Dahiya reduces them to one with ease. Deepak Singh then completes the rout, putting in a well-timed challenge to send Vikash Khandola back to the bench as the Giants get the 4th all-out of the match.

2nd Half, 37'
Bengaluru Bulls 19 - 41 Gujarat Giants

Ohh, stellar raid that from Nitin. He executes the dubki to perfection on Surjeet Singh to escape quickly with a point, but Rakshith uses his speed well to catch Fazel out.

At the other end, Parteek overruns on his dash and goes out of bounds, but the Arulnanthababu does well to come in with the support.

2nd Half, 35'
Bengaluru Bulls 18 - 40 Gujarat Giants

Vikash Khandola gets another point, this time with a quick kick on the right corner Sombir. However, the momentum is lost as Arulnanthababu makes another error, this time with a mistimed ankle hold that allows Nitin to escape in a do-or-die raid.

At the other end, Vikash Khandola is cornered and steps into the lobby without getting a touch. Momentum back with the Giants.

2nd Half, 33'
Bengaluru Bulls 17 - 37 Gujarat Giants

Absolutely unacceptable from the Bulls. Another unforced error from the Bulls as Arulnanthababu, the substitute, self-outs for the 2nd time since coming on as a substitute, and it just keeps getting worse for the Bulls here.

Finally, Fazel, makes an error tonight, and Vikash Khandola forces it, you can say. It's a do-or-die raid and the experienced raider bursts through the left chain of Fazel and Nabibakhsh to claim a two-point raid.

2nd Half, 30'
Bengaluru Bulls 15 - 36 Gujarat Giants

The errors continue to flow from the Bulls as the substitute right corner steps into the lobby without a touch. They simply can't afford this can the Bulls.

Fazel Atrachali gets his 6th tackle point of the night, and this might be his weakest one. Rakshith's jump is successful against Fazel's attempted double knee hold, but he's unable to recover in time as the Giants' defense comes to the Sultan's aid in the nick of time.

Monu then gets a rare point for the Bulls in this 2nd half by tackling Nitin, but Deepak Singh sends him straight back to the bench with a solid block, his 2nd of the night, as the 2nd timeout comes around. 

A 21-point lead for the Giants, and that could well be curtains for the Bulls in PKL 10.

2nd Half, 27'
Bengaluru Bulls 14 - 32 Gujarat Giants

3rd all-out for the Giants and they're running away with this. Parteek Dahiya is the architect as he gets his Super 10 in a fine passage of play.

The Bulls are down to three and Parteek forces the error from Ran Singh, who steps out of bounds. He then easily escapes from Monu's telegraphed challenge in a 1v2 situation, reducing them to one. Akshit never looked confident at any point in the match, and Fazel gets his High 5 with another solid block. What a game he has had!

2nd Half, 25'
Bengaluru Bulls 12 - 27 Gujarat Giants

This is going from bad to worse for the Bulls. Parteek Dahiya outmuscles their defense, escaping both from Surjeet Singh's attempted dash and from Ran Singh's ankle hold attempt that follows.

Sushil also perishes in the following raid, with Balaji D putting in a well-timed block-dash.

2nd Half, 23'
Bengaluru Bulls 11 - 24 Gujarat Giants

Deepak Singh's dash gets this half to a fine start for the Giants, picking up his 1st tackle point of the match. Monu did get close to the mid-line, but his dangling hand was dealt with.

Parteek Dahiya then draws a tame attempt from Saurabh Nandal on the run, easily evading the challenge and getting to the mid-line. Sushil then scores the first point of the half for the Bulls, as Deepak Singh goes overboard with his advanced tackle.

Half-Time
Bengaluru Bulls 10 - 22 Gujarat Giants

Two all-outs for the Giants in the first half, and they're in complete control of this match. The Bulls haven't done enough on a raiding front, and that has to change if they're to have any chance of making a comeback.

It's been all Gujarat so far, and the credit should go to Parteek Dahiya and Fazel Atrachali, who have been impressive in the raiding and defensive units so far. Balaji D also hasn't done much wrong in that left cover, getting both his tackles right.

Can the Bulls dig in deep and make a match out of this? The 2nd half coming right up.

1st Half, 20'
Bengaluru Bulls 10 - 22 Gujarat Giants

Well, Fazel gets his 4th tackle point of the night, pretty much bringing down Sushil all by himself with a dash, converted into a block. He's playing through the pain is the Sultan.

In the final raid of the half, also a do-or-die raid, Parteek Dahiya can't breach the right chain of Saurabh Nandal and Monu, with the Bulls' captain adding to his tally of tackle points.

Huge lead for the Giants at half-time, and the Bulls need to find a way to score raid points if they are to make a comeback.

1st Half, 18'
Bengaluru Bulls 9 - 21 Gujarat Giants

The lead increases more and more as the Giants get their 2nd all-out of the match. Fazel Atrachali puts in a solid block to send Akshit back to the bench and reduce the Bulls to two.

Parteek Dahiya gets the touch quite easily on Ran Singh in a 1v2 situation before the substitute Vikash Khandola is tackled by Nabibakhsh in the left-in position to complete the all-out.

Fazel did seem to wince in pain after making that challenge, but he's adamant to stay on the mat here.

1st Half, 16'
Bengaluru Bulls 8 - 16 Gujarat Giants

What was Sushil doing there? It's a do-or-die raid, he gets a clear bonus point on the first attempt, and appears to be confident he got it, but inexplicably wastes time making up his mind whether or not he's sure he got it, and goes back for a point, falling tamely to a dash from the cover combination.

Rakesh HS then has a do-or-die raid, and while he's tackled by the Bulls' defense, the point is awarded the way of the Giants as Monu steps out the end-line and gets involved in the tackle. 

1st Half, 14'
Bengaluru Bulls 7 - 14 Gujarat Giants

Ran Singh finally gets it right in the left corner with a pitch-perfect diving double ankle hold to bring down the in-form Parteek Dahiya. A slew of empty raids follow as the game slows down once again.

1st Half, 12'
Bengaluru Bulls 6 - 14 Gujarat Giants

What a raid that is from Sushil! He goes deep in the right corner, expecting the left chain of Fazel and Nabibakhsh to come around, and he then fakes the dubki, jumps over the defense to get to the mid-line with a minimum of two points. Oh, never mind, he steps into the lobby without a touch and the point is awarded to the Bulls. 

Parteek Dahiya claims a touch on the retreating Surjeet Singh in the right cover and gets it, much to the veteran defenders' protests. Balaji D then comes in with a solid block-dash to send Akshit back to the bench.

Sombir is subbed in for Manuj. Makes you wonder why he didn't start anyway.

1st Half, 10'
Bengaluru Bulls 6 - 11 Gujarat Giants

The Giants pounce immediately after the all-out as Manuj initiates the challenge on Sushil, with the support coming in from the two covers. However, one defender goes out of bounds in the process, and with Sushil also getting the bonus point, it's the Bulls who profit from that raid.

Immediately after, Rakesh HS is tackled in bizarre fashion. Spotting Saurabh Nandal circle around to tackle him, Rakesh tries to escape with a jump, but he dives parallel to the mid-line and well within the grasp of the Bulls' captain who tackles him with ease. Parteek Dahiya then picks up a bonus point as the whistle blows for the first timeout.

A 5-point lead for the Giants in what has been a slow-moving game. However, has the all-out opened up the contest?

1st Half, 8'
Bengaluru Bulls 3 - 9 Gujarat Giants

Parteek Dahiya cleans up the Bulls! Gee, he's in good form this guy! Parteek Dahiya against the Bulls' 3-man defense, and after getting the touch on the left corner, he uses his strength and the lobby to good effect to get past the mid-line despite the dash coming in from the two defenders on the right.

A very quiet game suddenly comes to life with the first all-out.

1st Half, 7'
Bengaluru Bulls 2 - 4 Gujarat Giants

Ran Singh almost rolls back the years, surprising Parteek Dahiya with a monstrous back hold, but he didn't get the support quick enough, and Parteek uses his height to good effect, leveling scores for the Giants.

More empty raids lead to a do-or-die raid for the Bulls, and Akshit has no chance against a solid chain tackle from Fazel and Nabibakhsh. Parteek Dahiya then draws a false tackle from Parteek in the Bulls' left corner, and the Bulls are down to two now.

1st Half, 4'
Bengaluru Bulls 2 - 1 Gujarat Giants

Monu doing it all for the Bulls here! Rakesh HS has a do-or-die raid, and after a couple of attempts at the bonus, he moves towards the right corner when Monu dives in with a quality double ankle hold to stop him in his tracks.

At the other end, the Giants open their account as Fazel Atrachali times his block to perfection as Sushil struggled to break the Gujarat defense in a do-or-die raid.

1st Half, 2'
Bengaluru Bulls 1 - 0 Gujarat Giants

What a start that is from Monu! He usually likes to put in some empty raids, but this time around, he uses his speed and reach to good effect to nail the running hand touch on the right-in Parteek Dahiya.

A couple of empty raids follow, and this could well be a cagey game. 

Toss Update: The Gujarat Giants win the toss and choose court. Bulls to raid first.

Monu will put in the first raid, and we're underway.

Click on the link below to find out which team are in-house experts are backing to come away with a win in this match:

Win big by making the perfect Dream11 teams for this contest by checking out Sportskeeda's Dream11 prediction for the same:

Team News

Here are the startling lineups for both teams:

Bengaluru Bulls: Saurabh Nandal (C), Ran Singh, Sushil Om, Surjeet Singh, Parteek, Monu, and Akshit Dhull.

Gujarat Giants: Fazel Atrachali (C), Manuj, Balaji D, Deepak Singh, Rakesh HS, Parteek Dahiya, and Mohammad Nabibakhsh.

The Bulls are unchanged from their last outing, but the Gujarat Giants appear to have made a couple of changes to their starting lineup. Expectedly, Parteek Dahiya comes in to the starting 7 for Rohit Gulia, but surprisingly, Manuj gets a start ahead of Sombir in that right corner.

Preview

Hello and Welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage of PKL 10. On this wonderful Sunday evening, two sides deep in the battle for a spot in the playoffs, the Bengaluru Bulls and the Gujarat Giants, square off at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

The Bulls' playoff hopes are dangling by a thread after their heavy defeat to the Puneri Paltan in their last outing, and nothing but a win will do for them in this contest. While their defense has more or less delivered, their raiding department has been the issue for the Bulls, and they'll need them to come good against an in-form Gujarat side.

The Giants are on successive wins coming into this game, and appear to have all units firing. They're a win away from confirming their spot in the top six and Fazel Atrachali and Co. will want to get it done in style.

The reverse fixture between these two sides was a closely contested one, and we can expect more of the same in this contest, and, I, Shreyas, will bring you all the live action as it unfolds. More updates to follow!