Out of the seven matches that U Mumba has played this season, it has failed to win just two. Both of those games were against Puneri Paltan who managed a tie in the first game and a win in the second encounter. For a side like U Mumba who has been functioning at a level above its competitors, this is something they would want to set straight.
There are many players capable of taking the attack to the opposition in the U Mumba camp but all eyes will be on Siddharth Desai. Playing in his first season of Pro Kabaddi, Siddharth Desai has set the mat on fire. He has 97 raid points from just seven games this season and is easily among the best raiders in the entire league.
Stopping Siddharth Desai is not going to be easy. U Mumba also has Fazal Atracheli, its skipper and lead defender, to try and stop Nitin Tomar from the Puneri Paltan. With 29 tackle points in seven games, Fazal ATracheli is not only U Mumba’s best defender, but he is also one of only four defenders in the league to be averaging more than four tackle points per game.
Puneri Paltan may be at the top of the Zone A standings right now but that position is precarious and the side will be well aware of that. Pune has played five matches more than its closest competitor, U Mumba. Winning this game and opening out a bit of a lead is going to be crucial for the side.
Pune has so far been the only side to be able to resist U Mumba’s awesome offense. That has been possible in large part due to the efforts of their skipper, Girish Maruti Ernak. He is going to be very crucial in stopping the U Mumba raiders once again.
Ernak can expect some good support on the defensive side from Shubham Shinde And Sandeep narwal as well.
The point scoring will have to be led by Nitin Tomar. He is the highest scorer of the league and seems to love playing against U Mumba. He scored 28 points in the two encounters against them earlier this season. If he can continue in that same vein that Puneri Paltan is going to be hard to stop.
The head to head between the two sides is a close 7-5 in favor of U Mumba with one tie also having been played out. As we mentioned, this season has seen Puneri Palatn hold its own in the Maharashtra Derby.
The choice here is between the best team of the tournament or the only side it has faltered against. Puneri Paltan seems to raise its game against U Mumba and has more motivation to win as well. We think, though, that U Mumba is finally going to be able to find a way past Puneri Paltan this season.
Back U Mumba to win.