In the second Pro Kabaddi League 2015 semi-final to be played on Friday, league leaders and last year's finalists U Mumba take on Patna Pirates at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai.
U Mumba started their campaign in the Pro Kabaddi this year in a remarkable fashion from their home leg itself and a victory on Friday, and a final win, will complete the circle.
The side from Mumbai finished with 60 points in the table in the regular league season – with just two losses from 14 games. Their opponents today (Friday) - Patna Pirates - are currently fourth in the table, and as many as 19 points separate the two in the table.
U Mumba do look favourites and also have the added advantage of a strong home crowd.
However, anything can happen in the match.
Patna Pirates come into the game after defeating last year's champions Jaipur Pink Panthers, who enjoyed a late surge of sorts this season. They had to battle it out until the last day, but got their job done.
The presence of all-rounder and skipper Sandeep Narwal (36 raid points), along with Ravi Dalal (44 raid points), Deepak Narwal (50 raid points) and Gurvinder Singh can turn out to be the key, only if they ensure they are not intimidated by the pressure their opponents put on them.
Korean raider Tae Deok Eom can also pose a threat to the U Mumba defence.
Patna Pirates do boast of Girish Ernak and D Suresh in their defence, but the duo has not been consistent this season.
For U Mumba, the presence of star players in their roster is an advantage. From inspirational captain Anup Kumar to Rishank Devadiga, Mohit Chhillar and Jeeva Kumar, they appear a truly an all-star kabaddi team.
Mumbai defenders Chhillar, Jeeva, and Surender Nada have picked up 36, 27, and 28 tackle points each so far. Vishal Mane is also a defender who can be merciless with his tackles.
Youngsters Bhupender Singh and Pradeep Kumar have stepped in to replace star raider Shabeer Bapu, whenever he has been down with injury. However, if Shabeer plays in today's game, along with Iranian Fazel Atrachali, it will be next to impossible for Patna Pirates to stop U Mumba.
The Mumbai side have defeated the Patna side on both occasions this season.
The match between U Mumba and Patna Pirates starts at 9 pm IST (4:30pm BST).
Where to Watch Live:
Pro Kabaddi League 2015 Semi-Final 2: U Mumba vs Patna Pirates can be watched LIVE on Star Sports.
Hindi Coverage - Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD 3, Star Gold
English Coverage - Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD 2
Telugu Coverage - Maa Movies
Kannada Coverage - Suvarna Plus
UK viewers can catch the action on Life OK
Live streaming will be available on Hotstar and Starsports.com
