Abhishek Singh and Fazel Atrachali inspire U Mumba to impressive win over Telugu Titans

A High 5 from skipper Fazel Atrachali and 15 raid points from Abhishek Singh saw U Mumba beat the Telugu Titans 42-35. With this win, U Mumba ended their four-game winless run and climbed to fifth on the points table.

U Mumba were off to a flying start, courtesy of three raid points from Abhishek and a couple of tackle points from their defence, which helped them build a 5-1 lead. Abhishek added two more touch points to his tally in two quick raids, leaving the Titans with a solitary man on the mat. Skipper Fazel Atrachali executed a stellar Thigh Hold on Sandeep Kandola to inflict the game’s first All Out and help U Mumba take a 10-2 lead.

Atrachali and Abhishek continued to torment the Titans as U Mumba extended their lead to 11. Three unanswered points from Telugu, with their defence picking a couple, saw U Mumba reduced to just three players on the mat. But the trio combined well to pin down Adarsh to add two more points to their team’s tally.

A stellar tackle on Mohsen Maghsoudlou from the Titans’ defence and a two-point raid from Rajnish ensured that Telugu continued to keep U Mumba under the cosh. The pressure finally paid off, as Adarsh escaped an Ankle Hold attempt from Rahul Sethpal and tagged Harendra Kumar on his way to the midline to help the Titans inflict an All Out and cut U Mumba’s lead to six.

Both teams added two more points to their total in the final couple of minutes of the half, as they went into the break with U Mumba leading 23-17.

The first few of the second half saw Atrachali at his finest. The Left Corner added three tackle points to his and his team’s tally to complete his High 5 and help U Mumba extend their advantage to nine points.

Rajnish and the defence combined to help the Titans outscore U Mumba 6-3 to cut the lead their team’s deficit to six. But a two-point raid from Abhishek and Atrachali’s sixth tackle point of the night helped U Mumba retain their nine-point cushion and reduce the Titans to just three players on the mat.

A Super Tackle from Kandola kickstarted a 5-1 run from the Titans that gave them hope of mounting a comeback. But Ajinkya Kapre’s two-point raid followed by a Super Raid from Abhishek ended their hope of winning the contest.

Adarsh scored a Super Raid late in the game to cut the deficit to seven, but Abhishek’s 15^th raid point of the night threatened to ensure the Titans leave the game empty-handed. But the Titans raider managed to pick up another touch point in the game’s final raid to ensure his side earned a point from the contest.

Top Performers

U Mumba

Best Raider – Abhishek Singh (15 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Fazel Atrachali (6 Tackle Points)

Telugu Titans

Best Raider – Adarsh T (12 Raid Points)

Best Defender – Sandeep Kandola (4 Tackle Points)