U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls—first and second place—will clash in the Pro Kabaddi League at the Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
Mumbai's U Mumba will head into the match on the back of a thumping victory over Puneri Paltan on Monday. They sit atop with 28 points and are yet to lose a single game. Bengaluru Bulls have been in good form too, but lost their last game to Puneri Paltan in a closely contested encounter. They have 16 points from four games.
U Mumba go into game as favourites. They look very ominous at this stage of the league. Furthermore they haven't looked like letting up at any stage of the tournament. The ease with which they disposed Puneri Paltan off makes them the team to beat in this tournament. At this stage they look very hard to stop.
Attack has been the best form of defence for the boys from Mumbai. Anup Kumar their skipper has led from the front. Even when other teams have been attacking them U Mumba haven't yielded from making constant forays into the opposition's half.
This strategy has worked wonders for them. Shabeer Bapu Sharfudheen has been stupendous in the position of raider in this tournament. Once again in the game against Pune he proved to be very hard to keep out. Here Pune found him more than a handful as he scored 11 points.
The tightly-knit defence have made it hard for the opposition to break through. Defender Jeeva Kumar stood out in the game against Pune.
Bengaluru Bulls would have to be on their toes to keep U Mumba from attacking at will. In the last game against they were caught unawares by Puneri Paltan in the dying stages of the match and this ultimately cost them the game. For most of the game the Bulls held the lead, however, Pune did not give up and went for the attack late in the game.
The Bulls can ill-afford to make the same mistake against the marauding U Mumba. Defensive lapses will see them pushed back greatly. Ajay Thakur and skipper Manjit Chillar put up a good show in the match against Puneri Paltan. Their team-mates would hope for a repeat.
With U Mumba in the form of their life and Bengaluru Bulls dearly looking to get back to winning ways, a stupendous contest lies ahead.
Where to Watch Live:
U Mumba will play Bengaluru Bulls at 8 pm. Star Sports will air the match. Live coverage will commence on Star Sports HD 2 from 7:45 pm. The link for Live Streaming option is Star sports.com.
