U Mumba face Gujarat Fortunegiants with an aim to rise in standings

U Mumba and Gujarat Fortunegiants face off in Match 102 of vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 7 on Sunday as both teams have a chance to rise two places in the standings with a win. U Mumba are yet to stitch together a run of two successive wins this season and Sunday’s match gives them an opportunity to make that happen. Gujarat Fortunegiants halted their three-match losing streak with a tie against Jaipur Pink Panthers on Saturday and will want to leave Jaipur with at least one win to their name.

Match 102: U Mumba vs. Gujarat Fortunegiants

Head-to-head: U Mumba 2 – 5 Gujarat Fortunegiants

U Mumba

Played: 16

Won: 8

Tied: 1

Lost: 7

Win Rate: 50.00%

Best Raider: Abhishek Singh

Best Defender: Fazel Atrachali

U Mumba’s previous match saw them end U.P. Yoddha’s unbeaten streak and the team will hope for more of the same in the match against Gujarat Fortunegiants. Their raiding department has been well-led by Abhishek Singh, who has produced Super 10s in two of the team’s last three victories. He has found able support in Arjun Deshwal, who has been scoring at an average of 5.06 raid points this season and has shown the ability to absorb pressure when the team needs him the most. Skipper Fazel Atrachali and Surinder Singh have also formed a lethal combination in defence as they accounted for 9 of the team’s 11 tackle points in their previous tie. However, in the opposite Corner, All-rounder Sandeep Narwal accounted for only 1 tackle point while Harendra Kumar put in 5 unsuccessful tackles for scoring one tackle point. The team will be up against another defensive giant in Gujarat Fortunegiants next and the battle could well be decided on which defensive set up manages their combination better.

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Played: 17

Won: 5

Tied: 2

Lost: 10

Win Rate: 29.41%

Best Raider: Rohit Gulia

Best Defender: Sunil Kumar

Gujarat Fortunegiants’ winless streak continued on Saturday as they had to settle for a tie against Jaipur Pink Panthers in spite of a second-half fight that almost brought them their first win in five matches. However, they will have a chance to get that win against U Mumba, a team that they enjoy an impressive record against in vivo Pro Kabaddi. The last time these two teams met in U Mumba’s home leg, Gujarat Fortunegiants had to walk away with a defeat. But the upturn in the fortunes of their defence, which led to them tying the match against Jaipur Pink Panthers, sees the team in a much better position to take on ‘Sultan’ Fazel Atrachali’s men this time around. Sachin Tanwar, the team’s strike raider for the past two seasons was unable to score a single point against U Mumba this season and will want to change that record as he is starting to find his feet in the competition. Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal, too, looked in good touch in the team’s previous match with the latter finishing with a High 5. This puts the team in a good position if the match becomes a tackling battle between two defence-heavy teams.