U Mumba will square off with U.P. Yoddhas in the 25th match of the Pro Kabaddi League at the Sheraton Grand Whitefield in Bengaluru on Saturday. Both the teams are coming off victories in their previous matches and will be aiming to sustain the winning momentum.
With a dominant victory in the previous match, U Mumba has the second-best score difference of +21 in the league. The season 2 champions have the 3rd best successful raid point of 46 in PKL 8 which reflects how well their raiding unit has performed in this season.
Pardeep Narwal’s Yoddhas have registered only one win in this edition of the PKL so far. However, drawing a match after trailing at half-time in the previous match will inspire some confidence in the Uttar Pradesh-based team. Pardeep has lacked support from the other players on the mat with Surender Gill the only other decent performer for the franchise.
How have they done so far?
U Mumba have won a couple of matches, lost, and tied a solitary match in PKL 8. A dominant display on the mat against the Jaipur Pink Panthers helped the team climb up the league standings.
On the other hand, U.P. Yoddhas have blown hot and cold and they will be hoping to be a better unit in both the departments and not be over-reliant on Pardeep Narwal.
Head to head record
U Mumba and U.P. Yoddhas have shared honours with 3 wins each in their 6 meetings so far. In the previous season, the two teams won a solitary match apiece.
Key Players
V. Ajith Kumar: In the previous match against Jaipur Pink Panthers, Ajith was one of the prime reasons why U Mumba were dominant in the contest. The raider picked up 11 points and has an impressive raid strike rate of 68% in this season.
Pardeep Narwal: After a blank showing against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Pardeep Narwal returned to form with 11 points against the Gujarat Giants. He was on the mat for 71% of the time and will be expected to be on the mat for more time.
Predicted Starting 7s
Fazel has picked only 5 tackle points so far but his influence as a leader has been calming
U Mumba: Abhishek Singh, V Ajith Kumar, Fazel Atrachali, Rinku, Shivam, Ashish Sangwan, Rahul Sethpal
U.P. Yoddhas: Pardeep Narwal, Rohit Tomar, Surender Gill, Ashu Singh, Gurdeep, Nitesh Kumar, Sumit
Prediction
U.P. Yoddhas and U Mumba are coming victories in their previous matches. However, the Yoddhas are more reliant on Pardeep Narwal while U Mumba produced a team effort to clinch the win. Hence, with a better and well-rounded unit than their opponents, U Mumba will be the favourites to win this encounter.