Pro Kabaddi League: U Mumbai Regain Top Spot, Dabang Delhi Beat Patna Pirates
With their ninth win in 10 outings and a tally of 45 points, U Mumbai have inched a step closer to semi-final berth.
Raiders Anup Kumar and Bhupender Singh helped U Mumba easily beat Bengal Warriors 31-17 in their Pro Kabaddi League match here on Sunday.
Making the most of his first outing, Pradeep Kumar contributed four points including a bonus. His efforts combined with Bhupender's stunning raids helped the winners sail comfortably at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium here.
With their ninth win in 10 outings and a tally of 45 points, the Mumbai side have more or less booked a semifinal berth.
The fact that U Mumba achieved this feat without star raider Shabeer Bapu and the upcoming Rishank Devadiga speaks volumes of the depth in their ranks. Two all-outs inflicted against the opponents, once in each half tilted the scales totally in U Mumba's favour.
Bhupender contributed five points and Anup seven to help their side stamp their authority.
Starting cautiously, the teams logged nine points in the first 10 minutes with the winners leading 6-3. As defender Mohit Chhillar got into the act of getting his holds and blocks right U Mumba gradually left the Warriors far behind to inflict the first all-out by the 19th minute. They trooped off for the break with a comfortable 20-15 lead.
The resumption of play saw Anup guide his forces astutely. He had full faith in Bhupender and the man given the do-or-die responsibility did it well. Anup himself added four to his tally while getting the second all-out which boosted his team's tally to 28-15 in the 37th minute.
With both Jang Kun Lee and Mahendra Rajput looking off-colour and the U Mumba raiders outwitting the Bengal defence, the chances for the Bengal side to book a semifinal berth looked remote.
Speaking on his team's performance today, captain Anup Kumar said, "We dominated the whole game from start to finish. We had a strong offence and defence and a strong team overall. We hope to remain on the top because then we will meet the fourth placed team who may be easier to beat in the play-offs."
Meanwhile in the second match of the day, hosts Dabang Delhi humbled Patna Pirates 45-26 in a lob-sided affair.
With the win, Delhi, who marked their first home-leg victory, moved to the fifth spot behind Patna in the league table, led by U Mumba.
Kashiling Adake was the star of the game as the Delhi Raider got the home team 13 points. Out of his 19 Raids, eight were susccessful.
Delhi will take on defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers on Monday.