U Mumba vs Pink Panthers: Match Preview: Match 5 of the PKL Season 7 will witness two former champions U Mumba & Jaipur Pink Panthers locking horns against each other. U Mumba have already won their first match on Saturday and would be looking to continue with their winning caravan in the tournament. Fazel Atrachali, Sandeep Narwal and Abhishek Singh starred in their first win and they would be hungry for yet another match-winning performance.
Pink Panthers side, led by the star all-rounder Deepak Niwas Hooda also looks rock-solid as all-rounder will lead his team consisting of some talented youngsters. Defenders like Sandeep Dhull and Amit Hooda give strength to the team’s defence department.
Date: 22nd May 2019
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad.
Match Telecast: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Hotstar
Head to Head | U Mumba vs Pink Panthers: Match Preview
Played: 15
U Mumba: 8
Pink Panthers: 5
Tie: 2
Last 5 Matches:
U Mumba – WLLDW
Jaipur Pink Panthers – LDLWL
U Mumba: U Mumba is a star team, who have performed well in all the seasons. The franchise has retained three players in Fazel Atrachali, Surender Singh and Rajaguru Subramanian. The side has a new coach, Sanjeev Balyan, and would hope he can turn their fortunes around. The side has also acquired raider Abhishek Singh who has performed well in the first match. The side already has inevitable defensive department with Iranian star Fazel Atrachali leading the pack, supported well by the star all-rounder Sandeep Narwal. Narwal would also add on the raiding front.
Pink Panthers: Jaipur Pink Panthers had lost a touch since their successful season 1 of the Pro Kabaddi. They had a very good first season where they emerged as the winners of the Pro Kabaddi League. Till now, they have struggled to find their form back. The team was led by the World Cup-winning captain Anup Kumar, who failed to deliver as per the expectations. Since then, Anup Kumar retired and shifted to the coaching and will be with the Puneri Paltan. The team would hope for a fresh start and back their skills to achieve a successful campaign with the additions of Deepak Niwas Hooda and defender Amit Hooda. Sandeep Dhull will be the player to watch out for as he will guard the left corner for his side.
Key Battles
1. Fazel Atrachali Vs Deepak Niwas Hooda
Iranian “Sultan” star Fazel Atrachali had bagged Rs.1 Crore in the last season of Pro Kabaddi League. He is the best defender of his side and has already led his team to their first win in their very first match. He makes the life tough for the opposition raiders. On the other hand, Deepak Hooda has been a very consistent performer for the teams he has played for. He is leading the Pink Panthers side as they are scheduled to play the first match of the season. It will be interesting to see both the captains face each other in today’s clash.
2. Abhishek Singh Vs Amit Hooda
Abhishek Singh, who performed well in the first match has already shown his intentions for the upcoming games. He scored a Super 10 in the last game and would be hoping to keep the momentum going. On the other hand, Amit Hooda who is yet to play his first match would be looking to grab him in the corners and deter the scoring.
3. Sandeep Narwal Vs Sandeep Dhull
U Mumba features the experienced all-rounder Sandeep Narwal, who coordinates well with the other players to get his team in a winning position. In the first match, Sandeep picked up 8 tackle points that resulted in the team’s first win of the season. On the other hand, Sandeep who is a well-versed defender will be looking to do something out of the box for his team. It will be an interesting battle between both in today’s match.
Match Prediction:
On paper, teams look pretty even. U Mumba has a packed defence, while Jaipur, on the other hand, would seemingly be over-dependent on the likes of Deepak Hooda , Nitin Rawal and Amit Hooda to add to both sides of play. Jaipur seem to have a slight edge in the game.
Probable Playing Seven:
U Mumba: Fazel Atrachali(C), Sandeep Narwal, Athul MS, Surender Singh, Rohit Baliyan, Harendra Kumar, Abhishek Singh
Pink Panthers: Deepak Niwas Hooda(C), Nilesh Salunkhe, Deepak Narwal, Amit Hooda, Sandeep Dhull, Nitin Rawal, Sunil Siddhgavali.
