Pro Kabaddi: Veterans Anup Kumar and Jeeva Kumar steering U Mumba clear of the pack
Two of U Mumba’s best players this season – Anup Kumar and Jeeva Kumar, are 32 and 35 years old respectively. Captain Anup Kumar has been in stellar form this season and has 25 successful raids to his name. This puts him fifth on the list, just two raids shy of Kashiling Adake of Dabang Delhi, who currently sits on top.
Apart from contributing in the attacking department, Anup has used his experience to negate the opposition’s best players time and again. The raider from Gurgaon reminded the critics why he is still one of the best players around.
One aspect that stands out in Anup’s game is the number of successful tackles he makes per match. For a raider, his 66% success rate in the tackling department shows why he plays such an integral role on and off the court for U Mumba.
Jeeva Kumar, on the other hand, has been rock solid for his team. In terms of playing time, he is generally the man who spends the most time on court for U Mumba. This is vital since he marshals his defence with military precision.
Every time it’s U Mumba’s turn to defend, with Jeeva on court, the team seems much more confident of making a successful tackle. With fifteen productive tackles in six matches, he is at fourth position in terms of successful tackles. Giving him company at the top is the 22-year-old Mohit Chillar who has an impressive eighteen tackles to his name.
5 more seasons for Anup and Jeeva
“Anup and Jeeva carry so much experience behind them that you don’t need to stress them on anything. Plus, they have had more than six weeks of pre-season training, which is sufficient in such a competitive league. A little bit of mental conditioning too goes a long way,” said U Mumba physiotherapist, Swapnil Mate, when asked about his teams practiced campaigners.
Asked if they had two more seasons in them, Swapnil said, “5 seasons definitely. This time our team has bossed up and look good”.
22 points clear of 5th-placed Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba look on course for another semi-final showing, in the least.