Gujarat Giants (kabaddi)

Last updated

Gujarat Giants
Gujarat Giants PKL logo.svg
Full nameGujarat Giants
Short nameGG
Sport Kabaddi
Founded2017 (2017)
First season 2017
Last season 2024
League Pro Kabaddi League
Based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Stadium EKA Arena by TransStadia
Colors  
AnthemGarjega Gujarat
Owner Adani Sportsline
Head coachJaivir Sharma
Captain Mohammad Reza Shadloui
Website gujaratgiants.com
Uniforms
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body gfghome.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg


Home
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body gfgaway.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg


Away

Gujarat Giants, formerly Gujarat Fortune Giants, is a professional Kabaddi team based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, competing in the Pro Kabaddi League. Owned by the sports arm of the Adani Group, Adani Sportsline, [1] Gujarat Giants joined the league in 2017. The team, currently led by Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Reza Shadloui and coached by Jaivir Sharma and Varinder Singh, plays home matches at The Arena by TransStadia. [2] They made it to the finals in their first two seasons, in 2017 and 2018, finishing as runners-up both times. Despite a strong come-back, they were eliminated in the playoffs of PKL Season X by Haryana Steelers in the Eliminator. [3]

Contents

Team identity

Logo and mascot

The Gujarat Giants' logo depicts a muscular giant in a red dhoti with a tilak on his forehead. This represents the team's values of power, strength, and energy. [4]

Anthem

The current anthem, Garjega Gujarat, was sung by Daler Mehandi and Gujarati folk singer Aditya Gadhvi. [5]

Team history

2017

Gujarat Giants entered the Pro Kabaddi League in the 2017 season under the name Gujarat Fortune Giants. In the fifth season of the league, the Giants were the first team to qualify with a record of 15 wins in 22 games. They swiftly made their way to the finals of the tournament. However, despite their strong performance, they faced defeat at the hands of Patna Pirates, losing 38-55 in the final. Notable players in their lineup included Fazel Atrachali, a key defender, and Abozar Mighani, their most expensive overseas pick in the auction. Additionally, the team bolstered its roster by adding Sukesh Hegde, further strengthening their lineup. [6] [7]

During their inaugural season, individual performances also stood out for the Giants. Sachin emerged as their top raider, making 132 successful raids in 32 games. Meanwhile, Abozar Mighani led the team in successful tackles with 63 in 24 games. Fazel Atrachali achieved the most High 5s for the Giants, securing four in 24 matches. Sachin's notable performance in Qualifier 1, where he earned 9 points against Bengal Warriors, played a key role in Gujarat Giants reaching the final. [8] [9]

Gujarat Giants Season 5 squad [10]

NamePosition
Fazel AtrachaliDefender
Abozar MighaniDefender
Sukesh HegdeRaider
Seong Ryeol KimAll-rounder
Mahipal NarwalAll-rounder
Mahendra Ganesh RajputRaider
C Kalai ArasanDefender
Rohit GuliaAll-rounder
Vikas KaleDefender
Manoj KumarDefender
Amit RathiRaider
SachinRaider
Parvesh BhainswalDefender
Sunil KumarDefender
Sultan DangeRaider
Pawan Kumar SehrawatRaider
Rakesh NarwalRaider
Chandran RanjitRaider

2018

In season 6, Gujarat Giants made Sunil Kumar [11] their captain and decided not to retain Fazel Atrachali. Despite this change, they continued to excel, as they became the first team to qualify for the playoffs with 17 wins out of 22 matches. Once again, they advanced to the finals but faced defeat against Bengaluru in Mumbai. Their journey to the final saw them triumph over the Yoddhas in Qualifier 1. [12]

Sachin carried forward his form from season 5, emerging as the top raider for the Giants with 159 successful raids in 23 games. [13] He also amassed the most raid points for the team, totaling 190 points, and achieved the most Super 10s with 7. [14] Sachin's contributions earned him a total of 204 points, the highest among all Gujarat Giants players that season. [15]

On the defensive front, Parvesh Bhainswal had 82 successful tackles in 25 games [16] - the most by a Gujarat Giants player. Bhainswal also secured 5 High 5s during the season. His tally of 86 tackle points ranked him second-highest across the league. [17]

Gujarat Giants Season 6 squad [18]

NamePosition
Sunil KumarDefender
C. Kalai ArasanDefender
Amit Vikram KandolaDefender
Parvesh BhainswalDefender
Sachin VittalaDefender
Amit Jaivir SharmaDefender
DharmenderRaider
Yashwant BishnoiRaider
Shubham Ashok PalkarRaider
Ajay KumarRaider
K. PrapanjanRaider
Dong Geon LeeRaider
Lalit ChaudharyRaider
Mahendra Ganesh RajputRaider
SachinRaider
Rohit GuliaAll-rounder
Hadi OshtorakAll-rounder
AnilAll-rounder

2019

In the seventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League, Gujarat Giants led by Sunil Kumar finished in 9th place. [19] Out of the 22 games they played, they managed to secure victory in 7 matches. Their last game of the season saw them defeat the Telugu Titans with a scoreline of 48-38. Despite starting the tournament strong with three consecutive wins, they faced a setback by losing six games in a row thereafter. This inconsistency led to them missing out on the playoffs for the first time since their entry into the PKL. [20]

Rohit Gulia emerged as the top raider for the Gujarat Giants, accumulating 132 raid points across 22 games. [21] He also notched up the most Super 10s for the team, [22] achieving this feat four times during the season. Meanwhile, Sunil Kumar secured six super tackles in 18 games, highlighting his contribution to the team's defensive strategy. [23]

Gujarat Giants Season 7 squad [24]

NamePosition
Sachin TanwarRaider
Sunil KumarDefender
Lalit ChaudharyRaider
Rohit GuliaAll-rounder
Parvesh BhainswalDefender
Ruturaj KoraviDefender
Vinod KumarAll-rounder
Abolfazl MaghsoudloumahaliRaider
Gurvinder SinghRaider
Sonu GahlawatDefender
GB MoreRaider
SonuRaider
AbhishekRaider
PankajAll-Rounder
AmitDefender
Mohammad Shazid HossainAll-rounder

2021-22

The 8th season of the Pro Kabaddi League faced a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually starting in December 2021. For Gujarat Giants it was a season of redemption after their absence from the playoffs in 2019. They made a strong comeback, winning 10 out of 22 games to secure a playoff spot. However, their journey in the playoffs was cut short after defeat by Bengaluru Bulls in the Eliminator 2. [25]

Despite missing key players like Rohit Gulia and Sachin Tanwar, the Giants managed to maintain a competitive edge by retaining Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar from the previous season. Bhainswal emerged as a standout performer, leading the team in tackle points with 56 in 23 games and recording the most super ackles (10). [26] Additionally, Girish Maruti Ernak, brought in during the auction ahead of the season, showcased his defense, securing the most high 5s for the Giants, totaling 4 throughout the season. [27]

Gujarat Giants Season 8 squad [28]

NamePosition
Harmanjit SinghRaider
SonuRaider
Sonu SinghRaider
Rathan KRaider
Maninder SinghRaider
Harshit YadavRaider
Pardeep KumarRaider
Ajay KumarRaider
Gaurav ChhikaraRaider
RakeshRaider
SohitRaider
Mahendra RajputRaider
Soleiman PahlevaniDefender
Parvesh BhainswalDefender
AnkitDefender
Sunil KumarDefender
SumitDefender
Girish ErnakDefender
Ravinder PahalDefender
Hadi OshtorakAll-rounder

2022-23

Ahead of the 9th season of the Pro Kabaddi League, Gujarat Giants made strategic moves by replacing Manpreet Singh with Ram Mehar Singh as their coach. Ram Mehar Singh had earlier guided the Patna to victory in season 5, and brought valuable experience to the team. Additionally, Ram Mehar Singh's recognition as an Arjuna recipient for his gold-medal-winning performances at the Asian Games added further credibility to his coaching skills. [29] Chandran Ranjit was entrusted with the captaincy.

The Giants commenced their season with a draw against the Thalaivas. During the Bengaluru leg, they secured 3 wins but also faced 3 losses. However, their campaign hit a snag when captain Chandran sustained an injury, resulting in Dong Geon Lee stepping in as the stand-in captain. Despite this setback, the team persevered, albeit facing a challenging final leg where they suffered 4 consecutive losses. However, they finished the season on a positive note, clinching 4 wins and a draw in their last 5 matches. Ultimately, they secured the 8th position in the points table with 9 wins out of 22 games. [30]

Parteek Dahiya emerged as the top scorer for the Giants, amassing an impressive total of 183 points. Rakesh contributed significantly with 131 points before his injury sidelined him. Despite his injury, Chandran Ranjit managed to rack up 95 raid points. Notably, the Giants had the best raid percentage (44.92%) in the tournament. On the defensive front, Rinku Narwal had 38 tackle points. [31]

Gujarat Giants Season 9 squad [32]

NamePosition
Dong Geon LeeRaider
Chandran RanjitRaider
Pardeep KumarRaider
RakeshRaider
Mahendra Ganesh RajputRaider
Purna SinghRaider
SawinRaider
SonuRaider
Gaurav ChhikaraRaider
Parteek DahiyaRaider
SohitRaider
Sonu SinghRaider
Rinku NarwalDefender
Sandeep KandolaDefender
Young Chang KoDefender
Baldev SinghDefender
Ujjval SinghDefender
Sourav GuliaDefender
Manuj Vinod KumarDefender
Shankar BhimrajAll-rounder
Arkam ShaikhAll-rounder
Gadai Rohan SinghAll-rounder

2023-24

The Gujarat Giants approached the season with a mix of retained and a number of high-profile picks at the auction. Having retained core players like Manuj, Sonu Jaglan, Rakesh Sungroya, Rohan Singh, and Parteek Dahiya, they bolstered the squad by acquiring defender Fazel Atrachali, a former Giant himself, for a significant amount of 1.80 crore. They re-signed players like Arkam Shaikh and Rohit Gulia, along with adding new talents such as Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, Sombir, Deepak Singh, Balaji D., Vikas Jaglan, and Sourav Gulia. [33]

The Giants started their season on a promising note, securing three consecutive victories. However, they encountered a rough patch with three consecutive losses. They staged a comeback by winning their next three matches. Despite facing intermittent setbacks, including two losses in subsequent three games, they maintained focus towards the end of the season. Performance in the latter stages helped them reach the playoffs. [34]

In terms of individual performances, Fazel Atrachali made history by becoming the first defender in the league to surpass 450 tackle points. Sombir contributed significantly to the team's defensive efforts, registering 52 tackle points, including eight super tackles and four high 5s. Meanwhile, Deepak Singh had 43 tackle points in 14 games, highlighting his impact despite limited appearances. [35]

On the raiding front, Parteek Dahiya delivered a standout performance by setting a new record for the most raid points in a single game, amassing a total of 22 points against the Warriors. [36] Throughout the season, he accumulated 130 raid points in 20 games, featuring nine super raids and six super 10s, while Sonu and Rakesh Sungroya also made notable contributions.

Current squad

Squad for 2025 Pro Kabaddi League.

Gujarat Giants squad [37]
No.NameNationalityPosition
8 Md Reza Shadloui (c) Flag of Iran.svg Iran All-Rounder
10Rakesh Sungroya Flag of India.svg India Raider
11Parteek Dahiya Flag of India.svg India Raider
Himanshu Singh Flag of India.svg India Raider
V. Ajith Kumar Flag of India.svg India Raider
Ankit Dahiya Flag of India.svg India Raider
Harish Kamatchi Flag of India.svg India Raider
Himanshu Jaglan Flag of India.svg India Right Raider
Shridhar Kadam Flag of India.svg India Right Raider
Nitin Panwar Flag of India.svg India All-Rounder
Himanshu Yadav Flag of India.svg India All-Rounder
Vishwanath Flag of India.svg India All-Rounder
Sumit Flag of India.svg India Defender
Amit Surender Flag of India.svg India Defender
Lucky Sharma Flag of India.svg India Defender - Right Corner
Rohit Nandal Flag of India.svg India Defender - Left Cover
Shubham Kumar Flag of India.svg India Defender - Left Cover
Milad Jabbari Flag of Iran.svg Iran Defender - Right Cover

Seasons

Season V

The teams are divided into two zones with each zone having six teams based on their geographical proximity. Each team will play 15 intra-zonal matches and 7 inter-zonal matches.
Zone A

Team
Pld W L D SD Pts
Gujarat Fortune Giants (R)22154312687
Puneri Paltan 22157091 80
Haryana Steelers 2213544079
U Mumba 2210120-5056
Jaipur Pink Panthers 228131-9151
Dabang Delhi KC 225161-13429

Zone B

Team
Pld W L D SD Pts
Bengal Warriors 2211561977
Patna Pirates (C)22107560 71
UP Yoddha 228104260
Bengaluru Bulls 2281131057
Telugu Titans 227123-252
Tamil Thalaivas 226142-7146

Source: ProKabaddi

Season VI

The teams are divided into two zones with each zone having six teams based on their geographical proximity. Each team will play 15 intra-zonal matches and 7 inter-zonal matches.
Zone A

Team Pld W L D SD Pts
Gujarat Fortune Giants (R)22173211793
U Mumba 22155218986
Dabang Delhi KC 221192-168
Puneri Paltan 228122-4552
Jaipur Pink Panthers 226133-6943
Haryana Steelers 226142-9142

Zone B

Team Pld W L D SD Pts
Bengaluru Bulls (C)22137210478
Bengal Warriors 2212822 69
UP Yoddha 228104-4557
Patna Pirates 229112-3655
Telugu Titans 228131-5551
Tamil Thalaivas 225134-7042

Source: ProKabaddi

Season VII

Team
Pld W L D SD Pts
Dabang Delhi KC (R)2215436685
Bengal Warriors (C)2214537183
UP Yoddha 221372974
U Mumba 2212824772
Haryana Steelers 2213811571
Bengaluru Bulls 22111011664
Jaipur Pink Panthers 229112-1358
Patna Pirates 2281312951
Gujarat Forunte Giants 2271321851
Puneri Paltan 227123-7248
Telugu Titans 226133-6745
Tamil Thalaivas 224153-11937

Source: ProKabaddi

Season VIII

PosTeamPldWLTSDPts
1 Patna Pirates (R)22165112086Qualification to semi finals
2 Dabang Delhi (C)221264-375
3 UP Yoddha 2210933368Qualification to eliminators
4 Gujarat Giants 221084267
5 Bengaluru Bulls 2211925366
6 Puneri Paltan 2212913366
7 Haryana Steelers 221093-2864
8 Jaipur Pink Panthers 22101021463
9 Bengal Warriors 229103-1857
10 U Mumba 227105-3455
11 Tamil Thalaivas 225116-4247
12 Telugu Titans 221174-13027
Updated to match(es) played on 25 February 2022. Source: ProKabaddi
(C) Champion; (R) Runners Up

Season IX

PosTeamPldWLTSDPts
1 Jaipur Pink Panthers (C)22156117482Qualification to semi finals
2 Puneri Paltan (R)2214626680
3 Bengaluru Bulls 2213813974Qualification to eliminators
4 UP Yoddha 2212824271
5 Tamil Thalaivas 221084566
6 Dabang Delhi 22101021763
7 Haryana Steelers 22101021661
8 Gujarat Giants 229112-1659
9 U Mumba 2210120-2856
10 Patna Pirates 228113-5854
11 Bengal Warriors 228113-1253
12 Telugu Titans 222200-24515
Source: ProKabaddi
(C) Champion; (R) Runners Up

Season X

PosTeamPldWLTSDPts
1 Puneri Paltan (C)22172325396Qualification to semi finals
2 Jaipur Pink Panthers 22163314192
3 Dabang Delhi 2213635379Qualification to eliminators
4 Gujarat Giants 2213903270
5 Haryana Steelers (R)221381-1370
6 Patna Pirates 2211835069
7 Bengal Warriors 229112-4355
8 Bengaluru Bulls 228122-6753
9 Tamil Thalaivas 2291303251
10 U Mumba 226133-7945
11 UP Yoddhas 224171-11631
12 Telugu Titans 222191-24321
Source: ProKabaddi
Rules for classification:
  • 5 points for a win
  • 3 points for a tied game
  • 1 point for a loss by 7 points or fewer

(C) Champion; (R) Runners Up

Records

SeasonsTotalWinsTiedLossesPosition
Season 5 2416356
Season 6 2518251
Season 7 2272138
Season 8 2210844
Season 9 2292118
Season 10 2213094

By opposition

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
OppositionPlayedWonLostDrawn% Win
Bengal Warriors 1374253.8%
Bengaluru Bulls 1585253.3%
Dabang Delhi 1566340.0%
Haryana Steelers 17412123.5%
Jaipur Pink Panthers 1668237.5%
Patna Pirates 1568140.0%
Puneri Paltan 1687150.0%
Tamil Thalaivas 1265150.0%
Telugu Titans 12102083.3%
U Mumba 16105162.5%
UP Yoddhas 1374253.8%
Total16078661648.7%

Sponsors

YearSeasonKit manufacturerMain sponsorBack sponsorSleeve sponsor
2017 V Shiv-Naresh Adani SimpoloFogg
2018 VI Fru2go Johnson Tiles Adani
2019 VII Finolex Fortune
2021 VIII WinZOAstral
2022 IX 1xBat Ambuja Cements
2023 X ACC Fortune
2024 XI
2025 XII

References

  1. admin (10 January 2024). "Parteek Dahiya Says Adani Sportsline Owned Gujarat Giants Have Only PKL Title in Mind". The Sportz Planet. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  2. "About Gujarat Giants".
  3. "Pro Kabaddi 2024 points table and standings".
  4. "Gujarat Giants Pro Kabaddi | Home of the PKL team".
  5. "GarjegaGujarat: Official Anthem video for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10". 2 December 2023.
  6. "Pro Kabaddi 2024 points table and standings".
  7. "Pro Kabaddi 2025 schedule, fixtures, results - get live scores".
  8. "Pro Kabaddi Player Successful Tackles | Records for Pro Kabaddi League Teams and Players".
  9. "Pro Kabaddi High 5s | Records for Pro Kabaddi League Teams and Players".
  10. "Gujarat team players for Pro Kabaddi 2017, Season 5". 23 May 2017.
  11. "PKL 2018: Sunil Kumar to lead Gujarat Fortunegiants squad in sixth season".
  12. "Pro Kabaddi 2024 points table and standings".
  13. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/10-22-player-raid-points-statistics [ bare URL ]
  14. https://prokabaddi.com/stats/10-100-super-10s-statistics [ bare URL ]
  15. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/10-22-player-raid-points-statistics [ bare URL ]
  16. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/10-23-player-successful-tackles-statistics [ bare URL ]
  17. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/10-101-high-5s-statistics [ bare URL ]
  18. "PKL 2018: Sunil Kumar to lead Gujarat Fortunegiants squad in sixth season".
  19. "Pro Kabaddi 2024 points table and standings".
  20. "Pro Kabaddi 2025 schedule, fixtures, results - get live scores".
  21. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/11-22-player-raid-points-statistics [ bare URL ]
  22. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/11-100-super-10s-statistics [ bare URL ]
  23. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/11-28-player-super-tackles-statistics [ bare URL ]
  24. "Gujarat Giants 2024 - Find player details of Gujarat Giants on Dream11".
  25. "Pro Kabaddi 2025 schedule, fixtures, results - get live scores".
  26. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/20-103-player-tackle-points-statistics [ bare URL ]
  27. https://www.prokabaddi.com/stats/20-101-high-5s-statistics [ bare URL ]
  28. "Gujarat Giants Season 8 squad overview". 18 October 2021.
  29. "Top Coaches of Pro Kabaddi Season 10". 4 April 2024.
  30. "Gujarat Giants Season 9 review". 30 March 2023.
  31. "Gujarat Giants Season 9 review". 30 March 2023.
  32. "Gujarat Giants full squad for Pro Kabaddi League Season 9". 30 September 2022.
  33. https://sportstar.thehindu.com/kabaddi/haryana-steelers-pro-kabaddi-league-pkl-auction-new-buys-2023-full-list-players-pkl-remaining-purse-live-updates/article67399524.ece https://www.prokabaddi.com/features/gujarat-giants-season-10-squad-review [ bare URL ]
  34. "Pro Kabaddi 2025 schedule, fixtures, results - get live scores".
  35. "Fazel Atrachali leads the best defenders for Gujarat Giants in PKL Season X". 5 April 2024.
  36. "Parteek Dahiya, Sonu, among the top raiders for Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi League Season X". 5 April 2024.
  37. "Gujarat Giants kabaddi team 2025 | PKL players and full squad".