U Mumba extirpated their arch-rivals Jaipur Pink Panthers 47-21 in a strong defensive performance in the second VIVO Pro Kabaddi League match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. It was an all-round performance from U Mumba, especially the brilliant raids by raider Abhishek Singh who scored a Super 10 (with 13 raid points) and secured a crucial win for his side in Pro Kabaddi League’s oldest rivalry. The win permitted Mumbai to climb to the fifth position in the points table while the Pink Panthers remained third.
U Mumba were completely dominant in the first half against Jaipur side, ending with a 16-point gap – the best lead going into the half time in Season 7. Their raiders, both Abhishek Singh and Arjun Deshwal, looked comfortable on the mat while Sandeep Narwal was as usual doing his serious business in his so called “Beast Mode” by pulling off some powerful tackles as U Mumba stifled the Jaipur raiders. The Mumbai side enforced their first All-Out on Jaipur in the 10th minute of the first half and followed it up with another in the 16th minute as Jaipur looked perplexed and left with minimal understanding of how to comeback in the game. The defense of the Pink Panthers added to their woes, as they certainly did not have a good day either on the mat. Having no successful tackles in the first half that ended 23-7 in favour of Mumbai.
Captain Deepak Niwas Hooda’s form has been something of a worry, as he has not been able to find his rhythm back after coming out from the fever. The Mumbai side inflicted a demoralising third All-Out in the fourth minute after the restart to push the lead to 22 points as Fazel Atrachali and Harendra Kumar joined Sandeep Narwal in the tackle points. Unfortunately, for U Mumba, Sandeep Narwal took a blow on the head during a tackle and had to be replaced in the seventh minute of the half. ‘Sultan’ Atrachali and Harendra Kumar secured their High 5s as U Mumba forced another All-Out on the Pink Panthers with three minutes remaining in the game to cross the 40-point mark. The match ended with a brilliant move by the Abhishek pulling off a massive four-point Super Raid and clinching his Super 10. The final score card read 47:21 which saw the complete dominance of the U Mumba in the game.
VIVO PERFECT RAIDER OF THE MATCH
ABHISHEK SINGH– U MUMBA
TATA MOTORS ACE DEFENDER OF THE MATCH
HARENDRA KUMAR – U MUMBA