Gujarat Giants are ready to go ahead with PKL Season 11. It is the second successive season they will be playing, having been runners-up on both occasions, and would love to win their maiden title. They have also appeared in the playoffs in four of the last six seasons and started going great guns.
Last season, the Giants couldn’t finish the tournament as they were outplayed by the Haryana Steelers in the eliminator. With head coach Ram Mehar Singh, who led the Patna Pirates to success in Season 5, there is much motivation going into this season for the team to go further than last time.
The Giants were very aggressive in the Season 11 Player Auction, signing up 15 new players to strengthen their hands in the team.
Strengths of the Giants
The Giants have a more capable raiding unit. Guman Singh, Parteek Dahiya, and Rakesh form their core of main attackers. With these players in place, the team gets depth and quality. Guman Singh is likely to spearhead, as they were bought for INR 1.97 crores. In Season 10, Guman Singh scored 163 raid points; in the entire PKL career, he has 400 raid points.
Parteek Dahiya has also been an essential player for two seasons at Giants with 308 raid points. Rakesh is eyeing an improved season after a poor one and looks to add to the 379 raid points he has. Monu, who has raided for 109 points, is also part of the list.
Weaknesses in Defense
The Giants have got a better attacking department, but defense needs improvement. Besides Sombir and Neeraj Kumar, with 194 tackle points and 172 tackle points, respectively, the team lacks experienced defenders. The team will look for experience in defense by using Nitesh, Manuj, Mohit, Harsh Lad, and Vahid Rezaeimehr. However, they have insufficient PKL experience.
Defensive issues cost the Giants crucial games last season, and this team still needs to prove whether it can close games. The team has weaknesses on its defensive line and has scope for such all-rounders to make an impact. In his PKL career, Mohammad Nabibakhsh has 79 tackle points, while Balaji D has 42. It is a critical season for Neeraj Kumar, as he failed to deliver last season but was impressive in his previous season for coach Ram Mehar Singh.
Monu also boasts defensive capabilities, with tackle points sitting at 114. Apart from bringing in a different attack style, he can balance out the team by offering attack and defensive skills.
Threats to Success by Giants
One of the major threats to the Giants would be their general absence of experience on that side. A lot of close matches were lost by them in the last season. Even in their strong raiding unit, they rely hugely on Guman Singh, who is certainly not the oldest in the league.
Though Guman is capable of being a change in the game, he needs to put his past experiences to good use to make himself a reliant player. How the Giants’ inexperience is overcome will be the key to their success in Season 11.
Conclusion
The Gujarat Giants are all ready for a thrilling PKL Season 11. Given the strong raids, along with support from all-rounders and knowledge about their weaknesses, they hope to achieve their first title. Only time will tell if they defeat those weaknesses and also get to etch their mark this season.
