Gujarat look to stop Patna from winning third straight title

The day of reckoning for which 12 teams fought for 13 weeks over 137 matches is here. Tonight, the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai will be the hotbed of every kind of sporting emotion as the VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5 champions will be crowned. On one side are double-defending champions Patna Pirates led by the unstoppable Pardeep Narwal, and on the other side are season debutants Gujarat Fortunegiants, who will try to stop Patna from completing a hat-trick of titles. With the league’s most important night about to unfold on Saturday, here’s the lowdown on how the two teams are poised against each other in the title clash.

Final - Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Patna Pirates

Head-to-head: Gujarat Fortunegiants 2-0 Patna Pirates

Gujarat Fortunegiants are, without doubt, the most consistent and one of the most formidable units this season. With a healthy mix of both experienced and young blood, the entire squad has come together beautifully under coach Manpreet Singh. Having beaten Patna in both their encounters this season, Gujarat will be high on confidence to win their maiden title. With one of the best cover and corner combinations in the league, Gujarat will heavily rely on their solid defence to tackle Dubki King Pardeep Narwal and hope that captain Fazel Atrachali, Abozar Mighani, Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal continue their rampant form into the final. Gujarat have a number of options in offence with Sachin, Sukesh Hegde, Mahendra Rajput, Chandran Ranjit, Rohit Gulia and Rakesh Narwal all looking in good shape. After a thumping victory against Bengal Warriors in Qualifier 1, Gujarat appear genuine contenders for the crown tonight.

Patna Pirates, on the other hand, enter the final on the back of three comprehensive wins in knockout matches against solid teams and will draw a lot of confidence from their current form. The good news for the team is the return to form of their defensive unit which has put up firm displays in all three play-off matches. However, the trump card for the defending champions will be none other that captain Narwal, who is currently in the form of his life. He has been breaking records and achieving new milestones every match and will look all set to single-handedly take on Gujarat’s sturdy defence. Even though he was a little subdued in the previous two matches against Gujarat, he remains the number one target on Gujarat’s hunting list and a game-changer. The Patna defence, however, will have a tough task on their hands and need to be in its element to handle Gujarat’s potent attacking force.

Khel Kabaddi Khiladi:

Abozar Mighani

While facing a menacing attacking unit in Patna, Mighani’s contribution to the game will be of utmost importance. He was instrumental in stopping Narwal’s charge in their previous two encounters and will look to replicate his heroics again.

Pardeep Narwal

The man of the moment will look to unleash another scintillating performance in the most important match of the season. He is in dangerous form and is capable of turning matches on their heads with a single super raid as he has done several times this season.

Catch the final live on the Star Sports network and hotstar from 7.30 pm onwards.