U Mumba aim to get the better of Zone B toppers Telugu Titans

The action in Pune continues on Day 5, as U Mumba take on Telugu Titans in Match 29 of the Inter-Zone Challenge Week at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Tuesday. U Mumba suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Puneri Paltan in their previous match and will look to get back to winning ways against Telugu Titans. They will draw inspiration from the fact that the game against Puneri Paltan went down to the wire and could have gone either way till the end.

Led by their defence this season, Telugu Titans have performed extremely well. They will hope to continue their run when they face a side they have fared well against in VIVO Pro Kabaddi, and consolidate their position at the top of Zone B.

Match 29 (Inter-Zone Challenge Week): U Mumba vs Telugu Titans

Head-to-head: U Mumba 3-4 Telugu Titans. 2 Ties

U Mumba have made an excellent start to their season but for a narrow, one-point loss to Puneri Paltan in their previous game. Their young raiders have performed exceptionally well this season. In his first season, Siddharth Desai has already managed four Super 10s from 5 games. With a return of 15 raid points in the previous game, Desai almost singlehandedly won U Mumba the game. He has been ably supported by Rohit Baliyan and Abhishek Singh. The remarkable defence, comprising of captain Fazel Atrachali and veteran Dharmaraj Cheralathan, has performed brilliantly and will look to contain the big names from Telugu Titans.

A strong start to the season has seen Telugu Titans top Zone B, but they will want to consolidate their position with a win over U Mumba. Their last game saw them defeat Patna Pirates with another strong defensive performance. Captain Vishal Bhardwaj returned 6 tackle points in the game and Abozar Mohajermighani managed his third successive High 5 of the campaign. Rahul Chaudhari is 7 raid points away from being the first to 700 raid points in the league and will look to achieve the feat in this match.

The big battle

Fazel Atrachali vs Abozar Mohajermighani

The performance of the two strong Iranian corners will be an important factor in deciding the outcome of the match. The key for both teams is to ensure that the raiders aren’t allowed a big night. Atrachali is the leading international defender this season with 19 tackle points while Mighani is a close second with 18 tackle points. Both teams will be looking up to their star defenders to put in a match-winning performance for them.

Key Khiladi

Siddharth Desai- U Mumba

Siddharth Desai has returned 66 points in 5 games so far, including four Super 10s. He has played a huge role in U Mumba’s campaign, managing to get raid points at will and the team will be hoping Desai can put in another match-winning performance against Telugu Titans.

Vishal Bhardwaj- Telugu Titans

Coming off a High 5 against Patna Pirates, Vishal Bhardwaj is in great form. Telugu Titans will be hoping their captain continues his red-hot form as he is getting better with every game. His leadership abilities will also be put to test and the team will hope he can come out on top.