The penultimate match of Season 6 sees Gujarat Fortunegiants square up against U.P. Yoddha in Qualifier 2 on Thursday with a berth in the Pro Kabaddi final at stake.

Zone A toppers Gujarat Fortunegiants will get a second crack at making it to the final after their defeat in Qualifier 1 against Bengaluru Bulls whereas stunning victories over U Mumba and Dabang Delhi K.C. leave U.P. Yoddha just one win away from a first-ever appearance in a VIVO Pro Kabaddi final.

The two teams last met during the Ahmedabad leg where a late rally from the Gujarat Fortunegiants helped them beat U.P. Yoddha by a scoreline of 37-32.

Head-to-head: Gujarat Fortunegiants 1-0 U.P. Yoddha

After leading 26-20 in Qualifier 1 with under seven minutes left in the contest, Gujarat Fortunegiants succumbed to a defeat against Bengaluru Bulls, sending the latter to their second Pro Kabaddi final. Despite the loss, there were many positives for Gujarat Fortunegiants as raider Sachin scored his sixth Super 10 of the campaign while K Prapanjan and Rohit Gulia also made meaningful contributions to their team’s score.

Captain Sunil Kumar and the team’s leading tackle points scorer – Parvesh Bhainswal – were limited to just a solitary point combined against Bengaluru Bulls in what was an uncharacteristic showing from an extremely potent defence. Given the form of U.P. Yoddha’s star-studded raiding trio of Prashanth Kumar Rai, Shrikant Jadhav, and captain Rishank Devadiga, Gujarat Fortunegiants’ defence will have to be at their very best if they are to make their second straight Pro Kabaddi final.

After a stellar performance against U Mumba in Eliminator 1, U.P. Yoddha upped their game further against Dabang Delhi K.C. in Eliminator 3, beating the team from the capital by a scoreline of 45-33, and finding themselves on the brink of a final appearance. While U.P. Yoddha’s defence has been the shining light of the team through this campaign, their raiders had a memorable night in Eliminator 3, with Prashanth Kumar Rai leading the way by scoring 13 raid points in a brilliant all-round performance from the team.

Veteran Cover defender Jeeva Kumar and star Right Corner Nitesh Kumar managed three tackle points each on the night, continuing from where they left off against U Mumba. With the defence in red-hot form and the raiding unit peaking at the right time, U.P. Yoddha is a force to be reckoned with and they will aim to continue their momentum against Gujarat Fortunegiants to qualify for their first ever Pro Kabaddi final.

 

 

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