U Mumba demolishes Bengal Warriors 37-27 to climb to the sixth spot on the points table

The defending champions Bengal Warriors clashed against U Mumba in ‘Match 111’ of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 as both the teams have been trying their best to ensure their berth into the playoffs.

This was a must-win encounter for both sides as the former champions have been stagnating at the bottom half of the points table. The Mumbai-based franchise was able to overcome the challenge courtesy of a masterclass from Fazel Atrachali as the Iranian defender bagged eight tackle points to his name to lead his side to victory.

U Mumba stepped on the mat with their eyes set on a win over the defending champions and put on a stunning display of offensive and defensive firepower throughout the contest. Abhisekh Singh and V Ajith Kumar were electric for their side as they racked up a total of seventeen raid points for their team. The Mumbai-based franchise will be happy with their duo as the two have been in sharp form right before the business end of the tournament.

The defensive unit was rock-solid for U Mumba tonight, as they racked up a total of sixteen tackle points in their clash against the Bengal-based franchise. Skipper, Fazel looked sharp as he led the charge from the front scoring eight points to his name, the Iranian was aptly supported by Rinku who picked up five points to his name. The young Indian defender has been a cornerstone for his franchise and became the first U Mumba defender to cross the 50 tackle points milestone this season.

On the other hand, Bengal Warriors will be disheartened with their performance as their chances to make it into the playoffs, are down to dust with their loss against their opponents. The Warriors have 47 points to their name in their 20 appearances and need nothing short of a win in their last two games if they want to remain in contention for the playoffs. However, it will not be easy for the side as they will have to depend on the results from the other fixtures if they wish to somehow make it into the top six.

Maninder Singh was yet again the key man for his team as he picked up six points to his name, but none of the players were able to support their skipper in his endeavors. Mohammad Nabibaksh who was back into the playing seven tonight also had six points to his name but made fat too many mistakes that cost his side later in the game. None of the defenders were able to leave an impact on the game which has been the story of the season for the Bengal-based franchise.

Abhisekh in action against the Bengal Warriors as he escapes Ran Singh’s tackle

The Warriors had a great start to the game as they established an early lead over their opponents in the game. Manoj Gowda changed the complexity of the game with a Super Raid in the first ten minutes of the game to give the Warriors a three-point advantage over U Mumba. The team then built on the momentum from the multipoint raid and pushed U Mumba on the verge of an all-out with just five minutes remaining in the first half.

The Mumbai-based franchise fired back with back-to-back super tackles, but their struggle was short-lived as Maninder scored a multipoint raid with just three minutes remaining in the first to inflict the first all-out of the game upon U Mumba. By the end of the first half, the Warriors had a one-point advantage over their opponents leading into the second half of the contest.

U Mumba dominated the second half of the contest as they returned the favor from the first half to inflict an all-out upon the Warriors within the first five minutes of the second half courtesy of consecutive raid points from Abhisekh and Ajith. The team was hot on momentum after the all-out as they kept the Warriors under check for the majority of the half and did not allow them to make a comeback in the game.

Fazel was on fire in the final ten minutes of the game as the Iranian started picking off the raider on the mat. Maninder on the other hand spent the majority of his time on the sidelines, waiting for his team to revive him back on the court. U Mumba however ruled with an iron defense and make their opponents no chance to find a footing back into the game.

With a win over the defending champions, the Mumbai-based franchise now has 53 points to their name in 18 games with four more fixtures to come. The team will look to build on their momentum from tonight as they face the Haryana Steelers in their upcoming contest this Sunday.