It will be hard to stop U Mumba as they head for their third encounter in the Pro Kabaddi League 2015. The Mumbai side have been unstoppable this season, with the franchisee making the most use of their home advantage.
The finalists of the inaugural edition of the lucrative kabaddi league, U Mumba carved out an impressive and hard-fought 29-28 win over defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers on the opening day. They then took the much-needed confidence to their second match this season, and this time too they came up with flying colours.
U Mumba weren't made to sweat much as they notched up an impressive 36-23 victory over Bengaluru Bulls in their second match of the Pro Kabaddi 2015.
After earning full ten points following the two straight wins, Ravi Shetty's side collide with Patna Pirates today at the NSCI in Mumbai. The Pirates will be opening their campaign in the kabaddi league, and they will need to put on a faultless performance to get the better of U Mumba.
In the first match, Jeeva Kumar provided a superlative show for U Mumba as it helped the side make a strong impact right from the start. Jeeva was so sensational on the day against the Pink Panthers that he was aptly chosen as the Best defender, the Most Impressive Player and also the man of the match on the day.
The match was watched by Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, cricket legend Kapil Dev, along with Bollywood stars Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, whose son Abhishek is the owner of the Jaipur team. Rishi Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh were also there among some of the other Bollywood celebrities.
And to make an impact in front of these stars is definitely a strong ask.
Defensive rock Mohit Chhillar is also one of the quality feathers in the impressive U Mumba cap. Known for his strong arm tactics, Mohit won the most inspiring defender of the match award against the Bulls yesterday.
But that takes nothing away from the sensational display provided by U Mumba captain Anup Kumar and Shabeer Bapu, who won the Best Raider of the match.
The star raiders are again expected to make their mark in the upcoming game.
"The fans were simply amazing. They and the rest of the team are the real heroes of the game. I knew I had to raise my game on such an occasion. We still have two games left to play in front of this crowd and we just don't want to lose," said Anup, a two-time Asian Gold medallist who finished the game with nine points.
The Pirates definitely go in as the underdogs in the match, but they also have the power to produce a strong challenge. The side from Bihar had finished fourth in the previous edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Previous meeting - 8 August, 2014: Patna Pirates 37 - 37 U Mumba
The match gets under way at 9pm IST (4:30pm BST).
Where to Watch Live:
Pro Kabaddi League: U Mumba vs Patna Pirates, can be caught 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
Marathi Coverage - Star Pravah (Sunday Matches only)
UK viewers can catch the action on Life OK
Live streaming will be available on starsports.com and Hotstar.
