U Mumba would be very disappointed at losing its last match to the Haryana Steelers, a side that was right at the bottom of the Zone A standings. Surprisingly, it was also the second game in succession that Fazel Atrachali failed to provide the defensive backbone of the side like he usually does.
Stats have shown the importance of Atrachali to this side’s success and so U Mumba will be hoping he can return to form sooner rather than later.
Whatever is said about the brilliance of Siddharth Desai’s rookie season in the PKL is too less. He has performed at an unbelievable level this entire season and continues to make the opposing defenders look silly. He returned from injury with two straight Super 10’s and would be desperate to win another game for U Mumba at home.
U. P Yoddha will know this could be the best time to face a strong U Mumba side as it plays a series of back to back matches. U.P Yoddha itself just finished its home leg where it managed just two ties and three defeats.
Now, it will be hoping that the small break would have allowed its players to recuperate and get back to their best.
For U.P. Yoddha to do well, Prashanth Kumar Rai and Shrikant Jadhav need to rediscover their best form. Both of them were kept quiet in the last match by some excellent defensive play from the Bengal Warriors. The U Mumba defense is also very strong but there openings in the left cover region which could be exploited.
Skipper Risjank Devadiga is also going to be very important in the offense. He has been inconsistent this season but his recent form has been more encouraging. With a top-spot on the line for his side, Rishank Devadiga is our player to watch out for in this match.
Nitesh Kumar will lead the U.P Yoddha defense as he has this entire season. Nitesh Kumar has been one of the best defenders in the league this season but he will have his hands full against Siddharth Desai and company.
U Mumba won the only match to have been played between these two teams in Pro Kabaddi history. It is difficult to gain too much insight from just one match and we believe the recent form of both sides will play a more important role.
Both U Mumba and U.P Yoddha are coming into this match on the back of a loss. U Mumba is going to have to pull out all its reinforcements to try and stem this losing streak in the middle of a packed schedule at home.
U Mumba has perhaps the best offense in this tournament while U.P Yoddha has a very good raiding unit as well. The recent form of the two sides suggests that backing U.P Yoddha might be the right way to go.
Back U.P Yoddha to win.