When the defending champions Patna Pirates take on debutants Gujarat Fortunegiants in the Final of the fifth edition of Pro Kabaddi league, the fans would witness a mouth-watering clash of Patna's prolific raiding team consisting of the unstoppable Pardeep Narwal and Monu Goyat with the stubborn Iranian defending pillars of Gujarat in the form of Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani.
Narwal's performance this season has reached legendary proportions with the 20-year old having raked up a whopping 350 points in fifth edition so far. Known as the 'dubki (diving) king' before this season, Narwal has found myriad ways of scoring points, putting to waste all efforts of opponents to stop him.
While his own raiding firepower has been too hot to handle for most teams, the Pirates have another notable raider in Monu Goyat who is occupying the sixth position in the list of most successful raiders this season. Had it not been for Narwal's domination, he would have emerged as one of the biggest stars of the season.
The Pirates have won the last two editions and if the duo of Narwal and Goyat fires on all cylinders, it's hard to see them not completing a hat-trick.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Patna coach Ram Mehar Singh expressed satisfaction with his team's effort this year.
"I am feeling great about my team's performance this season," he said. "At the start of the season, there was pressure on us. We had entered the tournament seeking to achieve a hat-trick and it's wonderful that my team has lived up to the expectations. We are confident and motivated going into tomorrow's Final," Mehar went on to add.
But if there is one defending line up that can put up a strong fight against the raiding juggernaut of Patna, its Fotunegiants as they possess two of the best defenders in the world, both hailing from Iran, namely Mighani and Atrachali.
The bulky Mighani and the lanky Atrachali are at fifth and ninth position respectively among the leading tackle point scorers this season.
Gujarat have form on their side as well considering that they have registered narrow wins in both their matches against the Pirates this season largely due to having kept Narwal subdued in those encounters.
When asked whether there are any special plans in place for Narwal, Gujarat coach Manpreet Singh insisting on sticking to the plans that have been worked so far.
"We have shown that Pardeep can be caught and were able to contain him in our previous two matches against Patna. We have a plan to counter him and will stick to the same strategy but if Pardeep finds a way through, we can also come up with other ways to stop him," Manpreet said.
So, it's all set to be a tantalizing contest between Patna's attack and Gujarat's defence. But both coaches insisted that other aspect of their respective teams should also not be underestimated.
Ram Mehar emphasized that his team's defence is also working well.
"Naturally, because Pardeep has been so successful, the other aspect of our team pales in comparison but I think our defence has also played well this season. There may have been one or two mistakes in the odd match but otherwise we haven't done badly," the Asian Games gold medalist argued.
But considering that Patna have conceded more points than any other team this season, there may be a weakness that Fortunegiants may look to exploit and their coach is confident that his team's raiders will rise to the occasion.
"My strength is my whole team, be it raiders, all-rounders or defenders," said a confident Manpreet at the press conference. He also refused to reveal whether skipper Sukesh Hegde has fully recovered from his injury and would take part in the Final on Saturday.
With just one member of their team among the top-20 raiders this season, Gujarat's raiding abilities look meagre compared to their solid defence. What is certain is that we will witness an intriguing contest as both teams have their plans ready to counter each other. Manpreet promised a match that will live up to the expectations. "I promise you would witness the kind of match never seen before and one that is worthy to be the Final," he predicted.
Kabaddi fans would have the same wish.