Pro Kabaddi 2024: Predicting the playing 7 for U Mumba for PKL 11
Season 2 champions U Mumba will begin their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024 campaign against Dabang Delhi K.C. on Friday (October 18) in Hyderabad. The last season saw the franchise finish 10th, as they managed to win only six out of 22 league stage games.
Ahead of the PKL 2024 auction, they retained seven players - Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, Rinku Sharma, Shivam, Gokulakannan M, Bittu, Sombir Goswami and Mukilan Shanmugham.
On the D-day, the franchise spent upwards of ₹2 crore to purchase 10 players. The notable signings for the team were defenders Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal and raider Manjeet Dahiya.
It will be interesting to see whether the new acquisitions and retained players help the franchise in the upcoming season. On that note, let's take a look at the predicted Playing 7 for the U Mumba team in the PKL 2024.
#1 Manjeet Dahiya (Raider)
Manjeet Dahiya will be the key raider of the team due to his experience and track record. The last edition saw Manjeet amass 115 raid points in 22 games, with two Super 10s. His performance helped the franchise reach the playoffs before losing in the semi-finals. However, the team chose to release him ahead of the auction.
U Mumba managed to secure the services of the star raider for the 2024 season. Overall, Dahiya has amassed 633 raid points in 108 PKL appearances, including 19 Super 10s.
#2 Sunil Kumar (Right cover)
The most expensive acquisition in the PKL 2024 auction for U Mumba was defender Sunil Kumar. The veteran defender has over 330 tackle points in 137 games with a success rate of 50% in the league's history.
In the last edition, Sunil played for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, who lost in the semi-final round. The right cover defender contributed 55 tackle points for the franchise, in what can be termed a decent performance.
#3 Parvesh Bhainswal (Left cover)
Another experienced defender, Parvesh Bhainswal was bought by U Mumba in the PKL 2024 auction. So far, Bhainswal has scored 310 tackle points in 137 PKL games with a success rate of 48%.
Bhainswal could earn only eight points in 15 games last season with the Telugu Titans. However, he will team up with his former teammate Sunil Kumar and will look to improve his performance. The duo wreaked havoc during their time with the Gujarat Giants and scored over 200 points each.
#4 Amirmohammad Zafardanesh (Raider)
Iranian raider Amirmohammad Zafardanesh was one of the retained players by the franchise for the 2024 season. Interestingly, the youngster was rewarded for his impressive performances in his debut season.
Zafardanesh scored 141 raid points with 20 games, with six Super 10s and a success rate of 38% to his name. Along with Manjeet Dahiya, he will be a crucial player for the franchise.
#5 Ajit Chauhan (Raider)
U Mumba signed Ajit Chauhan as NYP category for the 11th season of PKL. The youngster played 19 matches in the Yuva Kabaddi Series and scored a total of 239 raid points with eight Super 10s.
Ajit also accumulated 15 tackle points to show his defensive skills. It will be interesting to see how he fares in his debut season.
#6 Sombir Goswami (Left corner)
In his debut season last time, Sombir Goswami accumulated a total of 42 tackle points in 15 games and was retained by the franchise following his impressive performances.
Goswami will look to further improve his defending skills on the mat and help the team improve their standings in the 2024 edition.
#7 Rinku Sharma (Right corner)
Making his debut with U Mumba in 2021, Rinku Sharma has represented the franchise on 50 occasions. He has 148 tackle points with a success rate of 50% and nine High 5s.
Probable 7 for U Mumba in PKL 2024
Manjeet Dahiya, Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, Ajit Chauhan, Sombir Goswami, Rinku Sharma.