Gujarat Giants is one of the five teams in the Pro Kabaddi league that is yet to win a title. The team coached by the experienced Ram Meher Singh is looking to change the fate in the upcoming season that is scheduled to get underway from 2nd December 2023.
The coach has made a complete overhaul of his team for the upcoming season by roping in some big names like Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibhaksh and Rohit Gulia as the team eye turnaround of fortunes.
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Gujarat Giants performance over the years
The team made its debut in the fifth edition of the league in 2017. Fazel Atrachali was the captain of the side back then. In its maiden year, the team reached the final only to end up as runner-up after losing to Patna Pirates in the final.
In the next season, Fazel Atrachali was released from the side. The team however reached the final and once again finished as runner-up. A ninth place finish followed in the next season.
In 2021, the team managed to reached the play-offs and lost in the Eliminator 2. Last season, the team did not have a great outing and finished eighth on the table.
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Gujarat Giants – Retained Players
After their eighth place finish, coach Ram Meher Singh opted to rebuild the team completely. This saw experienced players like Chandran Ranjith,, Rinku Narwal and Sandeep Kandola being released ahead of the auction.
He showed faith in youngsters Prateek Dahiya and Rakesh Sangroya. Dahiya made his debut last year and impressed with 178 raid points to his name. Sangroya meanwhile bagged 131 raid points in the last edition. Another raider in Sonu Jaglan and defender Manuj were also retained ahead of the auction.
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How the team fared at the auction ?
At the PKL auction, the team went big in acquiring the services of the experienced Iran star all-rounder Fazel Atrachali. Having taken the Giants to the final already in 2017, he is expected to play a similar role for the side in the upcoming season.
Atrachali became the second most expensive overseas player as he was bought for 1.60 crore at the auction this year. Alongside him, the team also bought another Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Nabhibhaksh.
The team also shelled out 58.5 lakhs on all-rounder Rohit Gulia, who was a vital cog for Patna Pirates in the last edition. Defenders Sombir and Saurav Gulia were also bought at the auction that further strengthens their squad. All-rounder Arkam Shaikh also returned to the side as a FBM retention.
Gujarat Giants – Squad
Raiders: Rakesh Sangroya, Prateek Dahiya, GB More, Sonu Jaglan
Defenders: Fazel Atrachali, Sombir, Sourav Gulia, Deepak Rajender, Ravi Kumar, Manuj, Nitesh, Jagdeep
All-Rounders: Rohit Gulia, Mohammad Nabhibhaksh, Arkam Shaikh, Vikas Jaglan, Rohan Singh, Jitender Yadav, D Balaji
Also Read:
- PKL Auction 2023: List of sold players, full squads and prices
- PKL Auction 2023: Full list of updated squads for Pro Kabaddi
- PKL Auction: Meet Piotr Pamulak, Poland’s finest raider who bagged deal with Bengaluru Bulls
- Pro Kabaddi: Full list of coaches for upcoming PKL season
