PKL 2018, Eliminator 1, U Mumba v UP Yoddha: UP Yoddha's solid defence knocks U Mumba out of the competition
UP Yoddha's power-packed performance led by the defensive unit spelt doom for U Mumba as the season two champions crashed out of the sixth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League courtesy of a 34-29 win for the UP Yoddha at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi.
Nitesh Kumar was the star of the show for the Yoddha. The right corner defender picked up eight tackle points from the game and was instrumental in keeping away the threat of Siddharth Desai, which undoubtedly had a major say on the outcome of the game.
Apart from Nitesh Kumar, Jeeva Kumar was also great form as the veteran cover defender notched up his first 'High-5' of the season as the Yoddha put up their best ever defensive performance in the history of the league, with 18 of the 34 points coming from the defensive unit.
For U Mumba, Siddharth Desai did pick up seven raid points but his ability to get away from UP's defence unit, more so from Nitesh Kumar saw him spend a vast majority of game time on the benches as the season two champions failed to pick up points at a fast pace.
Fazel Atrachali picked up four tackle points but he did not receive too much support from his teammates as UP's dominance on the day earned them the win as U Mumba ended their season six campaign on a disappointing end.
Here are the player ratings from this game.
U Mumba
Fazel Atrachali - 7.5/10
The Iranian blew hot and cold as a couple of his tackles needed support but finished with two tackle points in the first half before he added two more points in the second half to fall just one point shy of a 'High-5'.
Siddharth Desai - 6.5/10
The lanky raider picked up just the four points in the first half and was brought down on a number of occasions by Nitesh Kumar and picked up just three more points in the second half as his poor show had a direct impact on the outcome of the match.
Rohit Baliyan - 6/10
Rohit Baliyan picked up a couple of useful bonus points in the first half to finish with three points and made an important ankle hold in the second half but was not in the greatest of form.
Darshan Kadian - 3/10
Kadian picked up just the one point in the first half and put in a number of empty raids, unable to penetrate the strong UP defense and was also subbed off in the second half.
Surender Singh - 4/10
The young cover defender made a few unnecessary tackles and gifted easy points to the UP raiders in the first half and picked his only point with a combination tackle with Rohit Rana.
Rohit Rana - 4.5/10
Rohit Rana produced a strong block to keep Shrikant Jadhav out of bounds in the first half which was his only moment of brilliance in the game as he finished with two points.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan - 6/10
Cheralathan was at his wily best in the opening half as he was the most comfortable of the defensive unit and picked up three vital tackle points but his top show went missing in the second half.
Substitutes
Abolfazl Maghsodlou - 7/10
The lanky Iranian came in during the second half and did well to pick up three raid points from six raids as his pace kept the UP defenders on their toes.
Abhishek Singh - 7/10
The young all-rounder was subbed on late in the second half and produced a two-point raid that got the nerves going in the UP camp.
Vinod Kumar - 5/10
Vinod Kumar came on as the lone man on the mat and picked up a bonus point but was soon ushered off the court on the Do or Die raid.