A place in the top 6 on offer for Patna Pirates and U Mumba

Patna Pirates and U Mumba clash on Friday in a battle that’ll propel the winner into the Top 6 of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 standings. Both teams have had a similar season, recording three wins and four losses each. While Patna Pirates have winning momentum on their side, having comprehensively beaten U.P. Yoddha in their previous encounter, U Mumba enjoy a superior head-to-head record over the three-time champions and will look to extend that with another win at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Match 43: U Mumba vs Patna Pirates

Head-to-head: U Mumba 7 – 4 Patna Pirates. 1 Tie.

U Mumba

Form guide:

Played: 7

Won: 3

Tied: 0

Lost: 4

Win rate: 42.86%

Best Raider: Abhishek Singh

Best Defender: Surinder Singh

U Mumba have found it difficult to build momentum this season and recently followed up a 12-point home victory against Gujarat Fortunegiants with a slender loss to Bengal Warriors in their previous game. Despite playing without their most successful raider Abhishek Singh in the last match, the team found a new hero in Arjun Deshwal, who scored his maiden Super 10 against Bengal Warriors to prove that he can deliver for the team. He was well backed by the defence, which scored 10 tackle points led by Surinder Singh’s four tackle points performance. However, the team was unable to find a successful second raider in the game, which ultimately cost them. They will hope that Deshwal continues to deliver in the same way to lead the attack against a strong Patna Pirates defence. ‘Sultan’ Fazel Atrachali’s battle with Pardeep ‘Record-Breaker’ Narwal will be another important duel in the contest and could even decide the outcome.

Patna Pirates

Form guide:

Played: 7

Won: 3

Tied: 0

Lost: 4

Win rate: 42.86%

Best Raider: Pardeep Narwal

Best Defender: Jaideep

Patna Pirates snapped a three-match losing streak against U.P. Yoddha by picking up a 21-point victory in their final home match. Their talisman Pardeep has been finding form and delivered for the team in their previous match with a Super 10. However, the biggest find for the team in that game was Neeraj Kumar, who led the defence with eight tackle points. He provided able support to the team’s highest tackle points scorer Jaideep on a night where the other Corner Hadi Oshtorak failed to open his account. If Oshtorak can also deliver against U Mumba, the Patna Pirates defence could make things tricky for Abhishek and company. Monu has also been an impact player for Patna Pirates off the bench so far and he’ll want to continue to impress in the coming match as well.