Pro Kabaddi 2016, Season 4 - U Mumba back to winning ways
U Mumba have been the most formidable side in the history of Pro Kabaddi League. They have been the most successful side in the tournament in its three seasons and have records unprecedented by no other team in the league. They are the only team to have reached the finals of the first three seasons of the league but were successful in their endeavour to win the title once, in the second season.
They were defeated by Jaipur Pink Panthers in the finals of the first season of PKL, and Patna Pirates in the third season. Their home ground of DOME@NSCI Stadium has been an impenetrable fortress for them and they did not lose a single match at home in the first three seasons.
Mumbai is led by one of India’s most experienced and decorated kabaddi players of recent times, Anup Kumar. After the departure of their star defenders who were mainly responsible for their successful run in the league in the first three seasons, the mantle of their defence has been ably taken over by Sunil Kumar, Manoj Dhull and Rakesh Kumar.
Their offence is also pretty good with Anup Kumar and the best raider of Season 3, Rishank Devadiga in their team.
They did not have a good start to season 4 as the revamped side took some time to get adjusted. They won their first match against Jaipur Pink Panthers 36-34 in a hard fought battle which showed their determination to win the league for the second time. Rakesh Kumar put a stellar performance in the game, by showing his all-round capabilities and proving that he belongs to the big boys club too.
He had 9 raid points in the match, which also included 2 bonus points. He collected 3 points while defending which included a super tackle, to give victory to his team. The other players had a relatively quiet game as they didn’t perform to their best.
Also Read: Pro Kabaddi Season 4, 2016: U Mumba coach happy with back to back victories
Their second match resulted in a loss against Puneri Paltans, who are having a great season this time, and Mumbai were completely outclassed in both the departments. Their defence was in disarray, and Pune scored 41 points in the match.
Their offence was not up to the mark as well, and they could only score 19 points to lose the match 41-19 which has been one of the most one-sided matches of the league so far. The only saving grace for them was Anup Kumar’s performance, who scored 9 raid points for the team.
They lost their third match against Patna Pirates 36-34 which made people doubt their capabilities as the best team in the league, and they were no longer seen as threats after losing two of their first three matches. There were some decent displays in the defence as Rakesh Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Surjeet had one super tackle each to their names, otherwise, it was a lacklustre performance from the team.
They have since gotten their act together and by beating Dabang Delhi and Bengal Warriors in their recent matches the team is back to its winning ways. They won 27-25 against Delhi, mainly due to the raiding exploits of Rishank as he scored 8 raid points for the team to give them victory. Their fifth match against Bengal Warriors saw them have a good day in both offence and defence as they won the match 26-18.
With 16 points in 5 matches, they now sit at the second position in the league behind leaders Puneri Paltan after week 1 of PKL. Rishank Devadiga is in great form and is second in the list of top raiders with 24 raid points to his name. Anup Kumar is fifth in the list with 17 points. Rakesh Kumar and Surjeet also feature in the list of top defenders, as Rakesh has 11 tackle points and Surjeet has 9 tackle points after the first week which shows the team has gelled together and is back in form.
They have made other teams notice their improvement in the game after a disappointing show in the first few matches, and the rest of the franchises have to be wary of them and not take them lightly as they could end every other team’s dream of winning the league and themselves become the champions. The Mumbai franchise would be expected to perform even better in the Hyderabad leg and carry on their winning ways all through the league and feature in another final, and hopefully, win the title for a second time, something that no other team has managed so far.