Defending champions Patna Pirates, led by the unstoppable Pardeep Narwal, will look to complete a hat-trick of titles on Saturday when they take on season debutants Gujarat Fortunegiants in the Pro Kabaddi League final in Chennai.
Gujarat Fortunegiants have been consistent throughout the season and have a right blend of youth and experience.
Patna Pirates have been building momentum coming into the final on the back of three comprehensive wins in knockout games.
Season debutants Gujarat Fortunegiants take on defending champs Patna Pirates in the Pro Kabaddi League final. ProKabaddi
Addressing reporters ahead of the crucial final, Gujarat captain Fazel Atrachali said: "This has been a special season of Pro Kabaddi for me, to lead a new team and establish its position in the league."
"We have played as one, where everyone had amazing synergy with each other and successfully overcame the language barrier. We'll use the same strategy in the finals with our eyes on the prize!
Gujarat coach Manpreet Singh said he is looking forward to an electrifying final.
"A strong strategy is the key to success in any sport. And that is a mantra that each team member of the Gujarat Fortunegiants follows. It a matter of pride that the team has reached the finals in our first year in the league. Led by the dynamic Fazel Atrachali, Gujarat Fortunegiants have displayed great team work, and strong sportsmanship. We have to now focus on winning the final."
On the other hand, a confident Patna skipper Pardeep Narwal said: "We started this season with only one goal in mind, to complete a hat-trick of titles for Patna Pirates. The journey has been great so far and I appreciate the effort put in by each and every member of the team, day in and day out. It's been a long and a fulfilling season for us with a lot of positives."
Patna coach Ram Mehar Singh on his part said: "Belief is all we started this season of Pro Kabaddi with. With back to back wins in Season 3 and 4, the pressure on us to perform was immense."
"I really appreciate the way this young team has come through in such a high intensity environment and performed to their fullest. Pardeep has been a revelation in the way he has led from the front with phenomenal performances throughout the season. Our eyes are firmly set on the title now and nothing less than a victory will satisfy the Pirates now," he added.
With inputs from IANS
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Updated Date: Oct 28, 2017 22:15:43 IST
Highlights
The crowds goes berserk as the final whistle blows.
The Patna Pirates have defended their title successfully. TWICE NOW.
Patna Pirates win the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5.
Under 40 seconds and the writing on the wall is clear...
IT WILL BE a HAT-TRICK OF TITLES
Starting Line-up
Gujarat Fortunegiants: Fazel, Abozar, Sukesh, Sachin, Parvesh, Sunil, Rakesh
Patna Pirates: Pardeep, Vishal, Sachin Shingade, Jawahar, Jaideep, Monu, Vijay
LIVE NEWS and UPDATES
21:52 (IST)
Anyway, that's it from here and thank you for joining Firstpost's live coverage of Pro Kabaddi League.
Good night!!!
21:51 (IST)
Pardee Narwal and the Pirates deserve all the praises coming their way. They deserve all the love and adulation that they have been abundantly showered with over the past three months.
They came in as champions and are now leaving as champions.
What a dream run Pardeep and their team seem to be having!!!
21:51 (IST)
What a final!
What an exciting way to bring an end to this tournament that has made all these players household names over the course of the past three months.
Hard Luck for Gujarat Fortunegiants but they can walk with their heads held high after consistenly playing high-quality kabaddi from 28 july to 28 October.
Patna Pirates were just the better team on the day that mattered to become three-time champions.
21:34 (IST)
21:33 (IST)
After winning almost all the post-season awards, Pardeep is waiting to lay his hands on the title his team has been winning for the past three years. It will be much more special for him this year as he will get to lift the title as the captain of the team that has won the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 - Patna Pirates
21:18 (IST)
As the post-match presentation is up, the winning team Patna Pirates have congregated on the mat for the Trophy handing ceremony wearing their ceremonial white jackets and posing happily for the shutterbugs.
21:16 (IST)
21:15 (IST)
21:15 (IST)
21:07 (IST)
The crowds goes berserk as the final whistle blows.
The Patna Pirates have defended their title successfully. TWICE NOW.
Patna Pirates win the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5.
21:06 (IST)
Under 40 seconds and the writing on the wall is clear...
IT WILL BE a HAT-TRICK OF TITLES
21:05 (IST)
50-36! Gujarat suffers yet another all-out as it has been a Pardeep Narwal show at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. Twice, he was the last player on the mat and has rebuilt the team without allowing his side to face an all-out. What a big-match player!!!
21:03 (IST)
21:02 (IST)
47-36! Sachin scores a point to yet again leave the Patna Pirates with just two players on the mat. Pardeep on his do-or-die raid once again builds up the team by scoring two more points.
21:00 (IST)
20:59 (IST)
Pirates lead 45-34! A technical error by the Pirates defenders has now left just both their raiders on the mat against a full-strength Fortunegiants. With just Pardeep on the mat, an all-out seems to be in store for the Pirates. But Pardeep returns with two opponents to make the Pirates half look comparatively fuller.
20:58 (IST)
20:51 (IST)
Pardeep goes in for yet another raid and returns with all the three Fortunegiants and hands them yet another all-out. The atmosphere is just electric with chants of Pardeep interspersed with whistles and hoots.
Pirates lead 38-26 with nine minutes to go.
Yet another day and yet another Super 10 for THE Pardeep Narwal.
20:48 (IST)
30-26! Vijay on his do-or-die raid wins a point for Pirates after escaping the clutches of Parvesh. The crowd goes crazy with the re-entry of the 'Dubki' King.
20:44 (IST)
Fortunegiants suffer an all-out, but they seem to have come back with a lot more determination as the team has been systematically reducing the number of Pirates on the mat with both their offence and defence.
Pirates still lead 29-26!
20:42 (IST)
With just three players on the mat, the Fortunegiants are in a spot of bother as Pardeep prowls in for yet another raid. He brings Fazel back into the Pirates half and wins the Pirates two points.
Pirates lead 24-20!
20:37 (IST)
What a remarkable comeback by the Patna Pirates to lead 22-19! after trailing by more than 5 points in the initial minutes of the game. Pardeep seems to be in a hurry and has the crowds cheering loudly for his every movie
20:32 (IST)
20:22 (IST)
20:13 (IST)
Sukesh with a do-or-die raid and he gets stopped in his tracks. Pirates trails 5-11.
19:49 (IST)
Starting Line-up
Gujarat Fortunegiants: Fazel, Abozar, Sukesh, Sachin, Parvesh, Sunil, Rakesh
Patna Pirates: Pardeep, Vishal, Sachin Shingade, Jawahar, Jaideep, Monu, Vijay
19:42 (IST)
Patna Pirates, meanwhile, continued their staggering form on the back of skipper Pardeep Narwal's juggernaut, defeating Bengal on Thursday. Pardeep clinched a total of 23 raid points in the second qualifier.
19:37 (IST)
Gujarat Fortunegiants convincingly seized their position in the finals with a crushing victory against Bengal Warriors in the first qualifier in Mumbai.
18:52 (IST)
Pro Kabaddi League 2017: Gujarat Fortunegiants can claim title if they keep Patna Pirates' Pardeep Narwal quiet}
The course of the final heavily depends on how Pardeep scores and the Pirates coach exuded confidence that the Pirates' captain has improved a lot as a player in the last few games.
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18:29 (IST)
Hello and welcome to Firstpost's live coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 final.
After three long months of thrilling action, the tournamen reaches its conclusion as Gujarat Fortunegiants take on defending champions Patna Pirates in the summit clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai today.
Stay tuned for further updates.