One of the most highly debatable yet recognised aspects in sports is the concept of home advantage. There is no doubt that having a packed stadium full of passionate supporters can serve as a huge motivation for any team. Widely referred to as the 12th man, our Giants will be counting on our fans to be our 8th man, as we look to conquer all four opponents we come up against in the #Ahmedabad Leg. The roar from the stands can rattle any opponent, while chants of encouragement will always be the perfect pick me up when things go sideways.
So far it’s been far from smooth sailing for teams at home. Hyderabad, Mumbai and Patna legs proved to be stumbling stones for their home teams. Take the Telugu Titans for example, who went through their entire home leg without a win. Even strong teams like Patna and Mumbai have struggled, however, given our home record, if it’s anyone who can break this streak, it’s the FortuneGiants.
Since making their debut in Season 5, the Giants have arguably been the most dominant side in VIVO PKL. Their home form has been eye-catching, having won 9 out of their 11 matches. In fact, no team has won more home matches than us in the past two seasons. As we gear up to continue our supremacy at our home den, let’s take a short trip down memory lane to our 3 most commanding performances in PKL at the EKA Arena by Transstadia.
Gujarat Fortune Giants 39-21 U Mumba
There is no denying the fact that U Mumba had a formidable raiding unit with Anup Kumar, Kashiling Adake and Shapeer Bapu in season 5 of PKL. Prior to our match against U Mumba, it was deemed as the battle between U Mumba’s attack and our defence.
From the start of the match, the Giants fired on all cylinders and raced to a 6-0 lead. They enforced U Mumba’s first all-out of the match in the 6th minute to take a commanding 9-1 lead. We witnessed some lethal Kabaddi in the first 20 minutes, and even in the second half, the Giants didn’t show any mercy to U Mumba. Our fans were treated to an absolute masterclass and eventually, a star-studded U Mumba team was outclassed by the young Giants by a huge 18-point margin.
Gujarat Fortune Giants 35-23 Bengal Warriors
In front of an electrifying atmosphere, the Giants secured a thumping 35-23 win against Bengal Warriors. It was a closely-contested first-half with both teams going neck and neck, but what followed in the final 20 minutes was nothing short of spectacular from our Giants.
K Prapanjan and Ajay Kumar worked in tandem and wreaked havoc to the Bengal defence. The Giants never gave the Warriors an inch for making a comeback, and, in the end, we wrapped up an easy 35-23 victory. Moreover, the win was also symbolic as it meant our Giants had won their opening encounters at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in both seasons.
Gujarat Fortune Giants 29-19 Telugu Titans
After winning our first four home matches in Season 5, the Giants squared off against Telugu Titans. The Titans started off well but the Giants took complete control of the match, after an impeccable Super raid from Sachin Tanwar. The Giants were resolute and went into the half-time with an unassailable lead of 20-7.
In the second half, we went about our business smartly with simple raids and good tackle points. The Giants were in the driving seat until the final whistle, as we brushed aside Telugu Titans 29-19 to register our fifth consecutive home win in VIVO PKL.
These results have enhanced our reputation as being the most destructive side at home in the last two seasons of VIVO PKL. It’s performances like these from our Giants, added with their unprecedented home record that make us confident we will continue our stellar form in front of our fans.