Let’s look at the SWOT analysis of 2-time finalists Gujarat Giants
Strengths:
Sunil/ Parvesh Partnership: The Sunil/ Parvesh Partnership was the backbone of Gujarat’s run to the final in the last 2 seasons and they will once again be the cornerstones on which the team will be built.
Experienced Corners:
Gujarat have bought the “Hawk” Ravinder Pahal to man the right corner while experienced Girish Ernak will play at the left corner position making Gujarat’s corners one of the most experienced in PKL 8. If they both find form along with the formidable cover combination of Sunil and Parvesh then opposition raiders will have a tough time against Gujarat’s defence.
Weakness
Inexperienced Raiders:
Gujarat does not possess any raiders, what you call strike raiders, the likes of Mahendra Rajput, Ajay Kumar and Sonu have always been support raiders. One of them or Rathan who impressed in the Senior nationals needs to have a dream season for Gujarat to reach the play-offs.
Opportunities:
Chance to finally win: Gujarat have been the losing finalists in 2 out of 3 seasons and they will look to end the run and finally get their hands on the coveted trophy.
Threats:
Gujarat do not have a threatening raider, if their raiders do not step up then Gujarat Giants are likely to struggle.
Girish Ernak: Since a superb PKL 5 Girish Ernak has consistently struggled especially in PKL 7, even in the recently concluded Girish was below par. If Girish struggles, then Gujarat might have to contend with a leaky left side defence to go along with their lack of strike raiders.