PKL Season 12 Match 58 Preview: U Mumba vs Tamil Thalaivas – Arjun Deshwal Faces His First PKL Team

Two teams with identical records clash in Match 58 of PKL 12 as U Mumba host Tamil Thalaivas. Both sides carry 4 wins and 5 losses from 9 matches, but their contrasting fortunes – U Mumba's alarming three-match losing streak versus Thalaivas' momentum-building victory – set the stage for a fascinating encounter where Arjun Deshwal returns to face the team where his PKL journey began.

Probable Starting 7

U Mumba
● Right Corner – Rinku
● Right In – Sandeep
● Right Cover – Sunil Kumar (C)
● Centre – Anil
● Left Cover – Parvesh Bhainswal
● Left In – Rohit Raghav
● Left Corner – Lokesh Ghosliya

Tamil Thalaivas
● Right Corner – Suresh Jadhav
● Right In – Arjun Deshwal (C)
● Right Cover – Ronak
● Centre – Moein Shafaghi
● Left Cover – Ashish
● Left In – Yogesh Yadav
● Left Corner – Nitesh Kumar

Headlines

➢ Two teams with identical records are taking on each other – both have 4 wins and 5 losses in 9 games
➢ U Mumba are coming off some poor form, as they are now on a three-game losing streak
➢ They were outplayed by the Dabang Delhi in their last game and lost by more than 20 points
➢ Ajit Chouhan's injury has left a hole in their team, as he was off to a great start this season till then
➢ Sandeep has stepped up in his absence and has been leading the raiding unit for U Mumba
➢ However, the veteran defenders have not been up to the mark this season, and captain Sunil Kumar has been struggling
➢ Tamil Thalaivas are coming off a great win in their last match
➢ Arjun Deshwal has been in amazing form for the Thalaivas and had a crucial Super 10 in their last game
➢ Nitesh Kumar has been in outstanding form at the left corner and has been one of the best left corners

Top Stories of the Match

Arjun Deshwal Plays Against His First Team in PKL

Arjun Deshwal made his debut for U Mumba in the PKL in season 6 before going on to become the player he is today. He is in amazing form and had a Super 10, leading Thalaivas to win against his other former team, Jaipur Pink Panthers, in the last game.

Arjun Deshwal's performance against Jaipur Pink Panthers:
● Raids: 27
● Raid points: 13
● Raid SR%: 48%

He will want to repeat that against his first team as well in this match, especially since he already did it when these two sides met the first time this season.

Arjun Deshwal vs U Mumba in M#5 in PKL 12:
● Raids: 18
● Raid points: 12
● Raid SR%: 67%

In fact, he loves playing against them, as he has an outstanding record in the matches that he has played against U Mumba. He has 7 Super 10s in 9 games against them in PKL.

Arjun Deshwal's career record vs U Mumba:
● Matches: 9
● Raid points: 104
● Average raid points: 11.6
● Raid SR%: 61%
● Super 10s: 7

He has been in good form this season and is averaging a little more than 10 raid points per game. He has the 5th-best average raid points in the entire league this season.

Arjun Deshwal in PKL 12:
● Matches: 9
● Raid points: 94
● Average raid points: 10.4
● Raid SR%: 53%

He has been carrying the raiding unit for the Thalaivas, and it clearly reflects in the results based on his performance.

Arjun Deshwal's performance correlation:
● In wins (4 matches): 55 raid points (13.8 average, 58% SR)
● In losses (5 matches): 39 raid points (7.8 average, 48% SR)

Arjun raids very well when there are 6-7 defenders on the mat, but his raid SR% drops significantly in other DIP situations.

Arjun Deshwal's DIP-wise analysis:
● 6-7 defenders: 62 points at 67% SR
● 4-5 defenders: 16 points at 34% SR
● 2-3 defenders: 14 points at 40% SR

However, support raiders have not been doing their job, and as a result, Tamil Thalaivas have the second-lowest average raid points and raid SR% this season.

Lowest average raid points in PKL 12:
● Gujarat Giants: 16.9 points (39% SR)
● Tamil Thalaivas: 18.4 points (45% SR)
● Bengaluru Bulls: 19.1 points (46% SR)

U Mumba Defence Showing a Big Dip in Form

U Mumba has a great defensive line-up, with veteran defenders led by Sunil Kumar. They started off the season in great form, but have since been struggling, and have been the reason for U Mumba's poor run in form.

Even last match against Dabang Delhi, they only managed to get just 5 tackle points, and let Ashu Malik score raid points at will. They had a tackle SR% of just 16%.

U Mumba's defensive performance vs Dabang Delhi:
● Tackles: 31
● Tackle points: 5
● Tackle SR%: 16%

This slump has been going on for 5 games, as there has been a significant shift in their defensive performance after the 1st 4 games.

U Mumba's defensive comparison:
● First 4 games: 54 tackle points (13.5 average, 49% SR from 111 tackles)
● Next 5 games: 39 tackle points (7.8 average, 31% SR from 127 tackles)

Captain Sunil Kumar has not been able to consistently pick up points in this season. He had a good phase in the middle for 3 matches, but has again gone off track in the last two games.

Sunil Kumar's form trajectory in PKL 12:
● First 4 matches: 4 tackle points (1.0 average, 22% SR, 0 High 5s)
● Next 3 matches: 9 tackle points (3.0 average, 64% SR, 1 High 5)
● Last 2 matches: 4 tackle points (2.0 average, 36% SR, 0 High 5s)

The corners have been pretty good for U Mumba, with Lokesh Ghosliya and Rinku both having a tackle SR% greater than 45%.

U Mumba's corner defenders in PKL 12:
● Lokesh Ghosliya: 19 tackle points (2.4 average, 49% SR)
● Rinku: 18 tackle points (2.0 average, 44% SR)

Team Stories

U Mumba – PKL 12 So Far

Recent Results:
● M#50 vs Dabang Delhi K.C. – Lost 26–47 (21-point defeat)
● M#48 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – Lost 38 (4)–38 (6) (lost in tie-breaker)
● M#40 vs Puneri Paltan – Lost 22–40 (18-point defeat)
● M#27 vs Patna Pirates – Won 40–39 (1-point victory)
● M#25 vs Telugu Titans – Lost 37–45 (8-point defeat)

U Mumba find themselves in a tough spot after losing 3 matches consecutively. After losing a nail-biter to the Jaipur Pink Panthers in a tie-breaker, they were completely outplayed in their last game against the Dabang Delhi.

They now find themselves in 9th position in the table, and will have to start winning as the tournament goes to its later stages.

Ajit Chouhan's injury has left them without a lead raider, and they will be hoping that he can make a comeback soon. However, Sandeep has stepped up superbly in Ajit's absence, and even despite the loss, he had a wonderful Super 10 in U Mumba's last game.

Their defence struggled in the last match, getting only 5 tackle points. The defensive unit has had a dip in form after the first 4 games.

Sandeep Makes Best Use of His Moment to Shine as Lead Raider

Ajit Chouhan's injury has affected U Mumba's raiding unit, as he was doing a great job leading the raiding unit in the first 5 matches.

Ajit Chouhan in PKL 12:
● Matches: 5
● Raid points: 39
● Average raid points: 7.8
● Super 10s: 2
● Raid SR%: 68%

The raiding unit has still managed to compensate as a collective, as they have still been a good raiding side.

Sandeep has been in outstanding form and has back-to-back Super 10s in the last two games.

Sandeep's recent performances:
● M#48 vs JPP: 22 raids, 14 points (64% SR)
● M#50 vs Dabang Delhi: 16 raids, 11 points (69% SR)

U Mumba raids much better in the first half as a unit than in the second half. There is a significant drop in raid SR%.

U Mumba's half-wise raiding comparison:
● 1st half: 91 raid points at 52% SR (from 176 raids)
● 2nd half: 80 raid points at 40% SR (from 214 raids)

In fact, they have the second-lowest raid SR% in the second half in the entire league in PKL 12.

Lowest raid SR% in the 2nd half in PKL 12:
● Gujarat Giants: 61 points (30% SR)
● U Mumba: 80 points (40% SR)
● Bengaluru Bulls: 97 points (46% SR)

Anil has been the main secondary raider and does not have a great raid SR%. However, Zafardanesh and Satish Kannan have stepped up.

U Mumba's support raiders in PKL 12:
● Anil: 30 points (3.8 average, 37% SR)
● A Zafardanesh: 24 points (4.0 average, 48% SR)
● Satish Kannan: 19 points (3.2 average, 61% SR)

Tamil Thalaivas – PKL 12 So Far

Recent Results:
● M#52 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – Won 37–28 (9-point victory)
● M#46 vs U.P. Yoddhas – Lost 22–39 (17-point defeat)
● M#45 vs Haryana Steelers – Lost 36–38 (2-point loss)
● M#42 vs Telugu Titans – Lost 29–43 (14-point defeat)
● M#36 vs Bengaluru Bulls – Won 35–29 (6-point victory)

Tamil Thalaivas got out of their 3-match losing streak, bringing up a superb victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers in their last match.

Arjun Deshwal was on fire against his former team – bringing up a Super 10, and taking the Thalaivas over the line. Nitesh Kumar, who has been in amazing form, got his second consecutive High 5, and Suresh Jadhav at the right corner also had a High 5.

They now sit in 8th place with 4 wins in 9 matches and have momentum going into the crucial stages of the tournament.

Their secondary raiding has not been getting enough support, and the Thalaivas will want one of Narender/Moein Shafaghi to step up.

Nitesh Kumar Continues to Shine for the Thalaivas

Nitesh Kumar is in excellent form for the Tamil Thalaivas. He has had back-to-back High 5s in the last two matches.

Nitesh Kumar's recent performances:
● M#52 vs JPP: 7 tackles, 7 points (100% SR)
● M#46 vs U.P. Yoddhas: 11 tackles, 7 points (64% SR)

Tamil Thalaivas' defence has had an inconsistent season so far, sometimes contributing well, and sometimes not. There is a stark difference between how the defence performs in wins and losses.

Tamil Thalaivas' defensive splits:
● In wins (4 matches): 56 tackle points (14.0 average, 52% SR from 107 tackles)
● In losses (5 matches): 46 tackle points (9.2 average, 39% SR from 117 tackles)

Nitesh Kumar has by far been the best defender for the Tamil Thalaivas.

Top tackle point scorers for Thalaivas in PKL 12:
● Nitesh Kumar: 33 points (3.7 average, 57% SR, 24 assists)
● Ronak: 18 points (2.0 average, 46% SR, 37 assists)
● Himanshu: 14 points (1.8 average, 48% SR, 11 assists)

In fact, Nitesh Kumar has scored joint-most tackle points in PKL 12.

Most tackle points in PKL 12:
● Nitesh Kumar: 33 points (57% SR)
● Sumit: 33 points (64% SR)
● Gaurav Khatri: 32 points (63% SR)

Ronak has 37 assists this season, which is the most by a player in PKL 12.

Most assists in PKL 12: ● Ronak: 37 assists ● Sandeep: 36 assists ● Abinesh Nadarajan: 35 assists

Head-to-Head in PKL

Overall: Matches – 14 | U Mumba – 10 | Tamil Thalaivas – 3 | Tied – 1

The head-to-head record between these two sides has been a one-sided affair, with U Mumba having won 10 of the 14 matches that the two sides have played (1 tie).

U Mumba are on a 3-match winning streak against the Tamil Thalaivas, including the reverse fixture earlier this season, where they beat the Thalaivas 36–33.

Recent Form (Last 5 meetings):
● M#5 PKL 12: U Mumba won 36–33 (3-point victory)
● M#106 PKL 11: U Mumba won 47–31 (16-point victory)
● M#54 PKL 11: U Mumba won 35–32 (3-point victory)
● M#94 PKL 10: Tamil Thalaivas won 50–34 (16-point victory)
● M#28 PKL 10: U Mumba won 46–33 (13-point victory)

Key Player Battles

Tamil Thalaivas' Raiders vs U Mumba's Defenders
● Arjun Deshwal 9–2 Sunil Kumar
● Arjun Deshwal 8–3 Parvesh Bhainswal
● Arjun Deshwal 5–5 Rinku
● Arjun Deshwal 3–1 Lokesh Ghosliya
● Narender Kandola 8–4 Rinku
● Narender Kandola 5–0 Sunil Kumar

U Mumba's Raiders vs Tamil Thalaivas' Defenders
● Sandeep 0–2 Nitesh Kumar
● Ajit Chouhan 6–4 Nitesh Kumar
● Ajit Chouhan 3–1 Himanshu
● Ajit Chouhan 3–0 Ronak

What to Expect

This encounter promises an intriguing contrast between U Mumba's defensive struggles and Tamil Thalaivas' inconsistent support raiding. The critical battle lies in whether Arjun Deshwal can exploit U Mumba's alarmingly poor defensive form, whilst Sandeep attempts to continue his excellent run against the Thalaivas' relatively stronger defence.

U Mumba's historical dominance provides a psychological advantage, but their current three-match losing streak and defensive collapse – particularly in the second half – create vulnerability. The Thalaivas' momentum from their recent victory, coupled with Nitesh Kumar's outstanding form, could shift the balance.

Expect a tactical encounter where the team finding secondary contributions – whether U Mumba's support raiders stepping up or Thalaivas' defence maintaining consistency – will likely emerge victorious. Arjun Deshwal's emotional return to face his debut team adds extra intrigue to an already crucial playoff-race encounter.

Match Details

• Match: U Mumba vs Tamil Thalaivas – Match 58, PKL Season 12
  ● Date: Wednesday, 1st October 2025
  ● Time: 9:00 PM IST
  ● Venue: SDAT Multi-Purpose Indoor Stadium, Chennai
  ● LIVE Streaming: Watch LIVE on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar. For LIVE scores and updates, visit prokabaddi.com or download the Pro Kabaddi Official App.

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