PKL 2021: Gujarat Giants v/s U Mumba - Preview, Expected 7, Live streaming, Players to Watch out, Head to head, Key battle

Strategic Takeaways

Iranian left corner defender Fazel Atrachali looked to be in good touch after claiming three valuable tackle points in a low-scoring thriller. Super-sub Rahul Sethpal will be making his way in the Starting 7 after an impressive all-round performance of four raid points and three tackle points.

Gujarat's new left corner Sumit Malik suffered from injury midway through a tackle attempt and had to leave the mat on the stretcher. Sumit joins the list of injured Gujarat corners as their two first-choice corners Ravinder Pahal and Girish Maruti Ernak are also unfit. Rathan is likely to be replaced by Pradeep Kumar who gave an impactful cameo appearance against Bengaluru Bulls.

Head to Head

This rivalry has been one-sided thoroughly where both sides dominated each other at times. Gujarat Giants registered five consecutive wins in their first five face-offs with U Mumba. While Mumba won the following three battles against the Ahmedabad-based franchise.

Overall H2H record:

8 - Matches

5 - Gujarat Giants

3 - U Mumba

0 - Tie

When to watch?

It is the second battle of matchday 28 of the PKL season eight caravan. The encounter is expected to begin at 8:30 PM IST just right after the successful conclusion of the first match between Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi KC on the 18th January of 2022.

Live Streaming

All the matches are expected to be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar platform. You can also tune in to The Bridge for live updates about the action.

Expected 7

Gujarat Giants:

Rakesh Sungroya (Raider)

Mahendra Ganesh Rajput (Raider)

Pradeep Kumar (Raider)

Parvesh Bhainswal (Left Cover)

Sunil Kumar Malik (Right Cover)

Hadi Oshtorak (Left Corner)

Ankit Sharma (Right Corner)

Squad: Ravinder Pahal (C), Sunil Kumar Malik (VC), Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, Ajay Kumar, Rakesh Narwal, Rathan K, Harmanjeet Singh, Bhuvneshwar Gaur, Harshit Yadav, Maninder Singh, Pardeep Kumar, Rakesh Sungroya, Sohit Malik, Sonu Jaglan, Hadi Oshtorak, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ravinder Pahal, Girish Maruti Ernak, Ankit Sharma, Davinder Amar, Sumit Malik, Vishav Chaudhary, Soleiman Pahlevani

U Mumba:

Abhishek Singh (Raider)

V Ajith Kumar (Raider)

Rahul Sethpal (All-rounder)

Harendra Kumar (Left Cover)

Ashish Sangwan (Right Cover)

Fazel Atrachali (Left Corner)

Rinku Sharma (Right Corner)

Squad: Fazel Atrachali (C), Abhishek Singh (VC), V Ajith Kumar, Jashandeep Singh, Navneet, Rahul Rana, Kamlesh, Shivam, Prathap S, Mohsen Mghsoudlou, Ajinkya Kapre, Ashish Sangwan, Pankaj, Monu, Harendra Kumar, Sunil Siddhagawli, Ajeet, Rinku Sharma, Prince, Baljinder Singh, Rahul Sethpal

Players to Watch out For

Fazel Atrachali (U Mumba)

Parvesh Bhainswal (Gujarat Giants)

Abhishek Singh (U Mumba)

V Ajith Kumar (U Mumba)

Rakesh Sungroya (Gujarat Giants)

Key Battle

U Mumba offence v/s Gujarat defence

In absence of star corner defenders, all eyes will be on the cover duo of Gujarat Giants. Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar Malik scored four tackle points each in their previous fixture. U Mumba's in-form raiding unit will be challenged by Gujarat's brothers of destruction. The raiding department of U Mumba looks in a good shape after the recovery of V Ajith Kumar. Ajith stabilizes the offence and also provides freedom to striker Abhishek Singh.

U Mumba's raiding department with Ajith Kumar:

8 - Matches

156 - Raid points

19.5 - Average raid points

3 - Matches won

4 - Matches tied

1 - Match lost

U Mumba's raiding department without Ajith Kumar:

2 - Matches

28 - Raid points

14 - Average raid points

0 - Matches won

2 - Matches lost