Dabang Delhi K.C. eye final Playoffs spot from Zone A in face off against U Mumba

Dabang Delhi K.C. will face off against U Mumba in a Zone A encounter at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in Delhi on Saturday. A win for Dabang Delhi K.C. will take them closer to Puneri Paltan, who are currently in third place in the zone, while a U Mumba win will take them to the top spot in the zone once again.

The two sides met in Pune earlier this season where U Mumba came out 39-23 winners. Rookies Siddharth Desai and Abhishek Singh combined with Rohit Baliyan to score eighteen raid points in a solid outing for U Mumba. Their defence, too, managed fifteen tackle points in an all-round performance.             

Match 91 (Zone A): Dabang Delhi K.C. vs U Mumba

Head-to-head: Dabang Delhi K.C. 2-10 U Mumba

Form Guide:

Dabang Delhi K.C.	RESULT(W-T-L)	POINTS SCORED	POINTS CONCEDED
Vs. Jaipur Pink Panthers	WON	48	35
Vs. Haryana Steelers	LOST	27	34
Vs. U Mumba	LOST	23	39
Vs. Gujarat Fortunegiants	WON	29	26
Vs. Patna Pirates	LOST	35	38
TOTAL	2-0-3	162	172

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Points Scored – 32.4

Average Points Conceded – 34.4

Best Raider – Naveen Kumar

Best Defender – Ravinder Pahal

U Mumba	RESULT(W-T-L)	POINTS SCORED	POINTS CONCEDED
Vs. Dabang Delhi K.C.	WON	39	23
Vs. Gujarat Fortunegiants	LOST	35	39
Vs. Tamil Thalaivas	WON	36	22
Vs. Bengaluru Bulls	WON	32	29
Vs. U.P. Yoddha	WON	41	24
TOTAL	4-0-1	183	137

Stats from the last five matches –

Average Points Scored – 36.6

Average Points Conceded – 27.4

Best Raider – Siddharth Desai

Best Defender – Surender Singh

The big battle

Naveen Kumar vs Siddharth Desai

Both rookies have been magnificent for their respective sides and are their sides’ top scorers so far this season. While Naveen Kumar has managed 111 raid points in 14 matches to stand eighth in the list of Best Raiders, Siddharth Desai has racked up 153 raid points from 14 matches, the fourth best tally in the league.

Kumar’s average of 7.93 raid points per match is ninth in the season while Desai averages more than a Super 10 every game and sits second in that category. Speaking of Super 10s, Desai has nine while Kumar has managed to cross the landmark five times. Dabang Delhi K.C. have the advantage of a second raider in good form in the form of Chandran Ranjit. U Mumba, though, heavily rely on Desai as their next highest raid point scorer sits almost 100 raid points off Desai’s mark. The duel between the two rookies will be keenly watched as they hold the key for their teams.

Key Khiladi -

Ravinder Pahal – Dabang Delhi K.C.

Veteran Ravinder Pahal has been Dabang Delhi K.C.’s leading defender this season with 42 tackle points. The Right-Corner was limited to just one point in their previous encounter against U Mumba but came back strongly following that performance with a High 5 against Haryana Steelers. He also scored a High 5 in the team’s first home game against Jaipur Pink Panthers. The experience of Pahal will be up against the energy of Siddharth Desai and he will have his task cut out for him if Dabang Delhi K.C. are to notch up a win.

Fazel Atrachali – U Mumba

Fazel Atrachali’s return to U Mumba has already borne fruit for the side. The Iranian is the leading defender this season with 62 tackle points. Atrachali will be up against an in-form Dabang Delhi K.C. raiding unit consisting of rookie Naveen Kumar, Chandran Ranjit and Meraj Sheykh. The Left Corner, however, returned with four tackle points against Dabang Delhi K.C. in their previous encounter and will be raring to go again and ensure victory for his side, enabling them to reclaim top spot in Zone A.