Team Talk: U Mumba look to seal the deal with durable defence

Before Patna Pirates’ won a hat-trick of VIVO Pro Kabaddi titles and became the undisputed team to beat, U Mumba were the alphas of the league. The Mumbai outfit reached the final in each of the first three seasons of VIVO Pro Kabaddi, winning the title in Season 2 with a dominating display against Bengaluru Bulls.

The team is looking to start afresh this season in a bid to recapture their glory.

After finishing fourth in Zone A in Season 5, U Mumba went into the auction and acquired quality defenders, headlined by the return of Fazel Atrachali, in a bid to revamp the team.

Team Highlights

A defence to destroy the opposition

Fazel Atrachali returns to the team with whom he started his VIVO Pro Kabaddi career and will captain the side for Season 6. The Iranian has played in every final since his debut in Season 2 and U Mumba will hope his streak continues into Season 6.

Partnering Atrachali will be the experienced duo of Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Rohit Rana along with young Cover Surinder Singh, who was a revelation in defense for U Mumba in Season 5.

An absolute tank of a unit, U Mumba’s defence could be setting tackling records and imparting dismay on every raider who ventures on their half of the mat.

Variety in offense

U Mumba’s raiding workload will be equally shared among multiple raiders.

Rohit Baliyan and Abolfazl Maghsodhloumahali have proven to be capable deputy raiders but will take the mantle of lead raiders in Season 6 for U Mumba. Maghsodloumahali is no stranger to pressure situations, as he was a big part of Iran’s Asian Games gold medal winning squad.

They also have Darshan Kadian, a ‘Do-Or-Die’ raid specialist, who will be cherishing an opportunity to showcase his talents under the bright lights of VIVO Pro Kabaddi.

Stating Stats

Wins - 53

Draws - 4

Losses - 27

Total Points scored – 2647 (56.03% from Raid Points and 31.92% from Tackle Points)

Total Points conceded - 2497

All-Outs inflicted – 208

Most Successful Raider (seasons 1-5) – Anup Kumar with 489 raid points

Most Successful Defender (Seasons 1-3) – Mohit Chhillar with 123 tackle points

Form Guide

1. With a record of 10 wins and 12 losses in 22 games, U Mumba achieved a fourth-place finish in Zone A in Season 5 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi.

2. With 53 wins through five seasons, U Mumba are joint-top with Patna Pirates for most wins in the history of VIVO Pro Kabaddi but have taken six less games to reach that mark.

3. U Mumba’s tally of 419 Raids Points was fourth-most in the league in Season 5.

4. Kuldeep Singh managed six Super-Tackles for U Mumba in Season 5, a tally which was only bettered by UP Yoddha’s Jeeva Kumar.

5. U Mumba were undefeated in the Nagpur, Kolkata, Sonepat and New Delhi leg of Season 5 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi, winning all five of their games.