Amit Panghal-led Gujarat Giants start favourites against Bombay Bullets

World silver-medallist Amit Panghal will be the key for Gujarat Giants when they take on Bombay Bullets in the semifinals of the Big Bout India Boxing League here on Thursday.

The Bullets beat Gujarat Giants 4-3 when the teams squared up in the league stage but the latter squad was without the likes of Panghal and former women's world champion L Sarita Devi while they blocked the 57kg bout featuring Chirag, another of their heroes in the campaign so far.

With the return of each of their unbeaten stars along with youth women's 57kg ace Poonam Punia, who has won all her four bouts, Gujarat Giants will hope to reverse the score-line at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium Complex.

For Bullets, only Naveen Boora has so far caught the eye with consistent performances that helped him win four of his five bouts in the league.

Bombay Bullets will be hoping that their skipper Ingrit Lorena Valencia (women's 51kg), Kavinder Singh Bisht (57kg) and Emmanuel Reyas (91kg), each of who has won three bouts in the league stage, will aim to bring their A game on Thursday.

Anand Chopade has a 2-2 win-loss record but he will have to face the redoubtable Panghal.

The Bullets will be worried that they have not secured a point from their women's 60kg boxers, Melisa Neomi Gonzalez and Monika, or from the youth women's 57kg pugilist Priya Kushwaha.

On the contrary, the Gujarat Giants' weakest link appears to be the women's 51kg boxer Rajesh Narwal, who beat Savita (Odisha Warriors) in her first bout but has faced defeats subsequently.