U Mumba seek to finish home leg with a flourish

After two successive victories at home which saw them extend their lead at the top of Zone A to 15 points, U Mumba will now play their final Inter-Zone Challenge Week game against Tamil Thalaivas in a bid to end their home leg with a hat-trick of wins.

In Season 5, U Mumba had won their Inter-Zone Challenge Week match against Tamil Thalaivas but lost to them in the following Inter-Zone Wild Card match. Ajay Thakur scored a total of 26 points against U Mumba in both those matches and will once again be a key man for his side in Thursday’s contest.

Match 65 (Inter-Zone Challenge Week): U Mumba vs Tamil Thalaivas

Head-to-head: U Mumba 1 – 1 Tamil Thalaivas

Form Guide

U Mumba	RESULT(W-T-L)	POINTS SCORED	POINTS CONCEDED
vs Bengaluru Bulls	WON	32	29
vs U.P. Yoddha	WON	41	24
vs Haryana Steelers	LOSS	31	35
vs Gujarat Fortunegiants	LOSS	36	38
Vs Jaipur Pink Panthers	WON	48	24
TOTAL	3-0-2	188	150

Stats from the last five matches:

Average Points scored: 37.6

Average points conceded: 30

Best raider: Siddharth Desai (29 raid points)

Best defender: Fazel Atrachali (19 tackle points)

Tamil Thalaivas	RESULT(W-T-L)	POINTS SCORED	POINTS CONCEDED
vs Haryana Steelers	TIE	32	32
vs U.P. Yoddha	WON	46	24
vs Gujarat Fortunegiants	LOSS	25	36
vs Puneri Paltan	WON	36	31
vs Bengaluru Bulls	LOSS	35	44
TOTAL	2-1-2	174	167

Stats from the last five matches:

Average Points scored: 34.8

Average points conceded: 33.4

Best raider: Ajay Thakur (43 raid points)

Best defender: Manjeet Chhillar (20 tackle points)

The big battle

Siddharth Desai vs Manjeet Chhillar

Left raider Siddharth Desai has been in top form for U Mumba and is currently sitting on top of the Best Raiders list for this season. He prefers going in deep in the opponents’’ half and tempting the defenders on the opposite side to cut him off. However, he might struggle to do this against an experienced and bulky Manjeet Chhillar who is a master of the Block.

Though he averages 5 tackle points per game in Tamil Thalaivas’ wins, Chhillar’s tackle strike rate falls by 10% in those games, which means aggression works better for the all-rounder. If he can manage to send Desai to the bench in the early game then his confidence will sky-rocket which could spell bad news for U Mumba going further in the game.

Key Khiladi

Surender Singh

Surender Singh showed how dangerous he can be in U Mumba’s previous two games, scoring 12 tackle points overall and being his side’s best defender on both occasions. His Dashes and Double Thigh Holds from the most unlikely positions make him extremely dangerous.

Amit Hooda

Another experienced name in the Tamil Thalaivas defence, Amit Hooda’s ability to temper Manjeet Chhillar’s aggression with restraint from his end makes the two a winning combination for their team. He has a tackle strike rate of 58.33% while facing U Mumba.

Factor This -

Fazel Atrachali has a tackle strike rate of 80% against Ajay Thakur in all their contests so far.