U Mumba will face off with the Telugu Titans in the 71st match of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Sheraton Grand Convention Centre in Bengaluru on Saturday. Both the teams are in the bottom half of the standings.
U Mumba started off the season as one of the best teams in the competition but V Ajith Kumar’s injury hampered their form. In the last two matches, the raider is back on the mat but the franchise has failed to close out the matches.
Their opponents, Telugu Titans know a thing or two about not winning close matches as they have been on the receiving end numerous times. The defense and their mistakes have been a problem for the franchise as Sandeep Kandola, Ruturaj Koravi and Surinder Singh have been impatient on the mat.
How have they done so far?
U Mumba is placed 8th on the points table. In the last four matches, they have slipped down as they have been winless in their last four matches with 2 losses and as many ties in the competition. Their last win in the league was against the Telugu Titans.
Telugu Titans had a dismal run of form as they failed to register a victory in the first 10 matches and are lingering at the bottom of the table. They registered their first win against the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Head to Head Record
U Mumba has dominated the rivalry with 7 wins as against four by the Titans in 13 matches so far. Earlier this season, the orange outfit won the match 48-38 against the Titans as Abhishek Singh and V Ajith Kumar dominated the Titans throughout the match.
Key Players
Abhishek Singh has 73 raid points this season
Rajnish: He fired a blank in the reverse fixture against the season 2 champions but since then he has been a lone warrior for the franchise on the mat. He has scored 38 points in his last four matches and has been one of the top raiders of the season.
Abhishek Singh: The U Mumba raider started off the season on an impressive note but in the last few matches he has been inconsistent. The raider has been lethal with V Ajith Kumar’s presence but as a leader of the pack, he hasn’t performed up to the expectations. Mumbai will hope that Abhishek and Ajith’s combination works in this match as well.
Predicted Starting 7s
U Mumba: Abhishek Singh, V Ajith Kumar, Fazel Atrachali, Rinku Hari, Mohsen Maghsoudlou, Ashish Sangwan, Harendra Kumar
Telugu Titans: Rajnish, Ankit Beniwal, Surinder Singh, Ruturaj Koravi, Sandeep Kandola, Adarsh T, Prince D
Prediction
In spite of the win in the previous match, the Telugu Titans will be the underdogs. U Mumba has been better with V Ajith Kumar on the field and will hold the advantage against U Mumba.