Jaipur Pink Panthers lock horns with U Mumba in the 21st match of the Pro Kabaddi League’s season 8 at the Sheraton Grand Whitefield Hotel and Convention Centre in Bengaluru on Thursday, 30th December.
The Pink Panthers have won two out of the three matches in this season while U Mumba won, lost, and tied one match apiece in PKL 8 so far. A win for either side will take them into the top 3 positions on the points table.
How have they done so far?
After getting off to an inauspicious start with a defeat against the Gujarat Giants, Jaipur Pink Panthers have won their last two matches against the Haryana Steelers and U.P. Yoddhas.
In the previous match against the Yoddhas, Deepak Niwas Hooda sealed a victory for the Jaipur-based franchise in the final raid of the match. The season 1 champions were successful in restricting Pardeep Narwal as the raider picked up only 3 points. Nitin Rawal’s inspired performance will worry U Mumba’s raiding department.
On the other hand, U Mumba registered a victory in the opening match of the season against Bengaluru Bulls but since then they have been inconsistent. Dabang Delhi defeated the Fazel Atrachali-led team 31-27 while V Ajith Kumar’s heroics meant that the match against Tamil Thalaivas ended in a tie.
The raiding department has been impressive with V Ajith Kumar and Abhishek Singh rising up to the occasion but the defense has fared poorly this season. Fazel Atrachali has been lackluster this season and U Mumba will be hoping that the defender returns back to his form.
Head to head record
This will be a rematch of the PKL season 1 final where the Jaipur-based team lifted the trophy. It is U Mumba that has the domination in the overall head-to-head record as they have won 9 matches while Jaipur Pink Panthers have been victorious in 6 of them with a couple of matches between the franchises ending as a tie.
Key Players
Deepak Niwas Hooda’s performance can determine the result of the match
Deepak Niwas Hooda: Deepak Niwas Hooda held his nerves in crucial junctures against U.P. Yoddhas. Towards the end of the first half, Deepak Hooda’s super raid resulted in Jaipur restoring their 6-point lead. Hooda has been on the mat for 76.34% in the raids and with his experience, he has been a strong support to Arjun Deshwal.
V Ajith Kumar: U Mumba were trailing by 8 points when V Ajith Kumar’s 6-point raid turned the fortunes of his franchise. The raider almost single-handedly kept U Mumba in the game as he scored 15 points. He will be hoping to replicate the performance against the Pink Panthers.
Predicted Starting 7s
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Deepak Hooda, Arjun Deshwal, Vishal, Nitin Rawal, Amit Hooda, Shaul Kumar, Sandeep Dhull
U Mumba: Abhishek Singh, V Ajith Kumar, Fazel Atrachali, Rinku, Shivam, Ashish Sangwan, Rahul Sethpal
Prediction
U Mumba has been lukewarm this season and at times have lacked team effort while Fazel Atrachali’s form will also be a cause of concern for U Mumba. Jaipur Pink Panthers have stellar bench strength and they will hold an advantage going into this match.