PKL Season 11: Gujarat Giants' SWOT analysis

Twotime Pro Kabaddi League runnersup Gujarat Giants will be looking to put their best foot forward in a bid to secure the elusive PKL title in Season 11 One of the most consistent teams in the league the Giants have reached the Playoffs in four of the six PKL seasons in which they have competedThe Giants exited the league last season after losing to Haryana Steelers in the Eliminator and will be eager to go the distance in the upcoming campaign under the guidance of head coach Ram Mehar Singh who led Patna Pirates to PKL glory in Season 5Also Read Sachin emerges most expensive player of PKL auction Ajith Bhagwan cash inHeavily active at the Season 11 Player Auction Gujarat Giants signed a total of 15 players as they looked to build a strong squad capable of challenging for the title With that in mind letrsquos examine the strengths and weaknesses of Gujarat Giants ahead of Pro Kabaddi League Season 11StrengthsOne of Gujarat Giantsrsquo undeniable strengths heading into Season 11 of the PKL is their formidable raiding unit Blessed with attacking depth and multiple raiding options the Giants will primarily rely on the likes of Guman Singh Parteek Dahiya and Rakesh to break down opposition defencesMuch will hinge on Guman Singh who is expected to be the teamrsquos main raider after they acquired him for INR 197 crore at the Season 11 Player Auction Ninth on the leaderboard for most raid points 163 in Season 10 Guman has accumulated 400 raid points in the PKL and will be counted on to lead the Giantsrsquo attack He will be supported by Parteek Dahiya and Rakesh both of whom are more than capable of wreaking havoc on opposition defences on their dayParteek Dahiya in particular has been impressive for Gujarat Giants amassing 308 raid points in his two seasons with the team Rakesh meanwhile will be looking to bounce back after a slightly underwhelming campaign last season and will be eager to add to his 379 raid points in Season 11 Monu is another player who has proven his ability to contribute in attack with 109 raid points to his name in the PKLAlso Read PKL changed our lives Gujarat Giantsrsquo Guman Singhrsquos journey from Sherpur to stardomWeaknessesWhile their attack looks strong on paper Gujarat Giantsrsquo defence leaves much to be desired Apart from Sombir and Neeraj Kumar the Giants lack wellestablished defenders who have made a significant impact in the league Sombir has managed 194 tackle points in the PKL while Neeraj Kumar has accumulated 172 tackle pointsTo address their defensive weaknesses the Giants bought the likes of Nitesh Manuj Mohit Harsh Lad and Iranian Vahid Rezaeimehr at the Season 11 Player Auction However none of them have sufficient PKL experience to guarantee success Moreover Gujarat Giantsrsquo defensive shortcomings cost them in several close games last season and it remains to be seen whether this influx of relatively inexperienced defenders can improve their defenceOpportunitiesWith their defence not looking up to the mark a lot about Gujarat Giants will boil down to their allround talents The likes of Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Balaji D will need to make their presence felt in tackles and have proved that they are capable of doing so in the past While Mohammad Nabibakhsh has accounted for 79 tackle points in PKL Balaji D has scored 42Additionally Neeraj Kumarrsquos performance in defence will be crucial after a belowpar campaign last time around He has performed well under the tutelage of head coach Ram Mehar Singh in the past and will be hoping to return to his best in Season 11 Monu is another player who could show his defensive prowess and help strengthen the Giantsrsquo defenceHe has 114 tackle points in PKL and will be hoping to execute a few more tackles to help with the balance of the team Monu and Mohammad Nabibakhsh could be crucial to the Giants as they can be effective on both ends of the mat and it will be interesting to see if they make the most of the opportunities presented to themThreatsAs far as threats go the general lack of experience across both Gujarat Giantsrsquo defensive and raiding units could pose a significant area of concern to the teamrsquos fortunes in Season 11 This proved to be a problem for the Giants in Season 10 as well when they lost plenty of close contests that they should have wonEven their strong raiding unit will be led by Guman Singh who isnrsquot the most experienced main raider in the league to say the least While Guman can be a menace to any defence on his day it is imperative that he makes the most of his past experiences in the league to become a more consistent performer who can be relied on At the end of the day how Gujarat Giantsrsquo squad overcomes their relative inexperience is what could be the defining factor in their Season 11 campaignThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the 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