PKL 10: U Mumba ride on stellar all-round performance to defeat Telugu Titans 54-32

Noida, Dec 30 (IANS) Former champions U Mumba notched up their fourth victory on the trot as they beat the bottom-placed Telugu Titans 54-32 in a Season 10 match of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Noida Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.  

U Mumba had a bunch of star performers as Guman Singh (10 raid points), Rinku (8 tackle points) and Sombir (8 tackle points) excelled on the big stage.

It was an evenly contested match until the 1Mst0th minute when both sides were tied at 7 points, post which U Mumba took off.

Iranian raider Amirmohammad Zafardanesh executed a stunning raid to get rid of three defenders in the 11th minute. He came back to torment the Titans' defence again when he got the better of Milad Jabbari and Parvesh Bhainswal to inflict the All-Out. With five minutes left in the first half, U Mumba led 17-12.

It was then Guman Singh’s turn to produce a Super Raid as he outsmarted three defenders and U Mumba coasted to a 6-point lead at 21-15. The Titans endured more misery and ended the first half with just one man and were at the receiving end of an All-Out in the 21st minute. Sombir produced a massive tackle on Prafull Zaware to complete a High 5 and give his side a 27-18 lead.

The Titans, missing the services of their captain Pawan Sehrawat, fought back through some strong raiding from Rajnish. A Super Raid from him in the 26th minute saw U Mumba down to 2 men, but the men in orange handled the pressure well as Jai Bhagwan trapped Rajnish in an iron-clad ankle hold for a Super Tackle. With 10 minutes to go, U Mumba led 34-26.

However, a mistake from Jai saw him fall short of the baulk line and the Titans were given another golden opportunity as their opponents were reduced to 3. But the Titans’ raiders failed to capitalize as U Mumba executed not 1, not 2, but 3 Super Tackle. And all three came from their right corner, Rinku.

There was more joy in store for U Mumba as Jai made amends for his earlier error by wiping out the Titans’ 3-man defence to grab a Super Raid and inflict a 3rd All-Out on the Titans. That raid gave U Mumba a 19-point lead at 48-29. A Super Tackle from Sombir wrapped up the game and U Mumba posted their biggest win of the season.

--IANS

bsk/