U Mumba is one of those franchises that have laid the foundation stone of the world’s biggest Kabaddi league. It was considered a fortress of PKL in the initial seasons as they made it to the Grand Finales of the first three editions consecutively. MumBoys and their die-hard fans enjoyed great success in the initial stages under the era of Anup Kumar and also played a vital role in the global success of this league.
Although the dominant state of the U Mumba side has deteriorated ever since then and the Orange outfit is not even considered a title contender nowadays. After Anup Kumar’s departure, many prominent players such as Siddharth Desai and Fazel Atrachali arrived at the Mumba camp but couldn’t lead them to glory. In the previous PKL season, they finished the league stage in the 10th position being 11 points away from the playoffs qualification.
Former U Mumba defender Subramanian Rajaguru was handed over the responsibility to guide the MumBoys in the previous season which failed to live up to the expectations. The Tamilian has reportedly left the charge of the Mumbai-based franchise and the hunt for the next U Mumba gaffer is on. Hence the ‘Parimatch News‘ brings you the list of top five contenders for the U Mumba Head Coach position.
#5 Anil Chaprana
There are many rumours in the Kabaddi World going around about Anil Chaprana’s promotion to the U Mumba coaching unit. Chaprana is widely regarded as a master of raiding skills and techniques in the National circuit. He joined the U Mumba franchise for Season 8 as the offensive coach and deputy to Subramanian Rajaguru who was a primary defender and was going to coach a professional side for the first time.
Under the guidance of Chaprana, the raiding unit of U Mumba excelled and totally outclassed their defensive department. Anil has been a part of the Services Sports Control Board for many years, then as a player and now as a coach. He was appointed as a member of the Services first-team coaching staff and Army Green in the Inter-Services tournaments.
Even after having less star power in the offensive department, U Mumba still managed to deliver a fine performance overall. Chaprana has impressed the U Mumba authorities with his previous stint hence his contention in the Head Coach race is quite strong.
#4 Gholamreza Mazandarani
Gholamreza Mazandarani’s two bramhastras
Gholamreza Mazandarani is the first and still the only foreigner who has stepped up as a Head Coach of a PKL franchise to date. His short but effective stint as a Pro Kabaddi League coach wrote off the myth that foreign coaches are not capable enough for a grand stage like this. The speculations of his comeback to the U Mumba franchise are arising as the skipper Fazel Atrachali may want his mentor back in the team.
Before turning up for the PKL challenge, Gholamreza was already a big name in the Iranian Kabaddi circuit. Having coached the Iran National Team in the four consecutive Asian Games from 2006 to 2010, He earned a place on the list of greatest Iranian coaches of all time. He led the Persian side to the historic triumph at the 2018 Incheon Asian Games and won their first-ever gold medal in continental competition.
In his one-year tenure at U Mumba, the MumBoys finished as the runners-up of Zone A. We saw a rise of Siddharth Desai under the coaching and also witnessed a new sparkle in the defending of Fazel Atrachali as the Mumba went on to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the third edition. In the following season, Gholamreza left Mumba and joined the Telugu Titans camp along with his disciple Siddharth Desai.
#3 Edachary Bhaskaran
Edachary Bhaskaran is a huge name in the Kabaddi World having experience coaching for more than 28 years in this sport. Under his reign as U Mumba head coach, the fans witnessed the golden era of the franchise where they transformed themselves as Invincibles at one stage. Hence a large section of U Mumba fans is still waiting for his return to the side where he started his PKL coaching career.
The Services veteran has also coached the Indian National Men’s Team to the gold medal glory of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. He was relieved from the Services duties when the Pro Kabaddi League caravan began and then he kick-started his innings with U Mumba.
He was appointed as an assistant coach to Ravi Shetty for the inaugural season and also promoted to the head coach position in the following season where they went on to lift the trophy. Bhaskaran left U Mumba after spending five seasons in their coaching unit and joined the Tamil Thalaivas side and coached them in the following two seasons.
#2 Anup Kumar
Anup Kumar has been the greatest ever to don the Orange and Black kits of U Mumba in the Pro Kabaddi League. Captain Cool led the MumBoys to the three finals in the first three editions and also won the prestigious PKL trophy in the second season. Anup’s head coach position of Puneri Paltan is taken over by the PKL-winning gaffer BC Ramesh hence he is now looking for other destinations to land.
Anup was bought by the arch-rivals Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 6 where he spent the final season of his playing career before hanging his boots midway through the campaign. He got the opportunity to kick-start his coaching career very early as he was roped in by the Puneri Paltan management in the very next season. Although his performance in his maiden campaign as the Paltan gaffer went off the mark as they finished the league stage in the 10th position.
Despite an underwhelming performance in his first season, the Paltan management kept their faith in the Kabaddi genius by retaining him for yet another season. The Season 8 caravan came to its middle point, Pune was right at the bottom of the points table however they eventually emerged as late-bloomers and qualified for the knockouts. Anup showed a robust character through his decision-making as the youngsters rapidly made it to First Seven while several underperforming big names were kept on the bench.
#1 Rakesh Kumar
The return of the King on the cards?
The rumors of the former Indian captain rejoining the U Mumba side but this time as a head coach are heating up. Rakesh Kumar can be seen coaching a new side in the PKL 9 as he has been replaced by Manpreet Singh and Neer Gulia in the Haryana Steelers camp. However, Rakesh may have offers from other franchises on the table as well but U Mumba is likely to be his destination owing to his relationship with the franchise.
Rakesh Kumar became Pro Kabaddi League’s first-ever superstar even before the commencement of on-field action. Patna Pirates franchise acquired his services by submitting the highest bid of ₹12.8 lakhs and kept him on the roster for the first two seasons. The former Indian captain then joined U Mumba to reunite with his best-mate Anup Kumar before moving to Telugu Titans for his final season as a player.
After bidding adieu to his playing career, Rakesh turned up as an analyst for Star Sports before accepting the job offer from Haryana Steelers as a head coach for Season 7. Rakesh earned worldwide praises for his debut season with the Steelers where they qualified for the playoffs round without having many big names on the roster. Although he failed to replicate the same feat in the following season and could not advance to the knockout round despite being in the top half throughout the campaign.