Following a decisive 40–25 victory over the Gujarat Giants on Thursday at the SDAT Multi-Purpose Indoor Stadium in Chennai, U Mumba shot up to fourth place on the Pro Kabaddi League 12 points leaderboard. Rinku and Sunil Kumar each received High Fives, but Sandeep Kumar once again spearheaded the U Mumba attack with 16 points.
By the tenth minute of the first half, U Mumba had established a 10-6 lead over the Giants, having started the match with more force in the initial exchanges. Before Rakesh and Ankit Dahiya scored points for the Giants and Ajit Chouhan and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh contributed for U Mumba, the two teams exchanged fruitless raids in the early going. In patches, the defensive units held firm, with Sunil Kumar and Rinku making forceful tackles to contain the Giants.
With five points in as many raids, Sandeep once again shown that he was U Mumba’s preferred raider in the early going, continuing his scorching form from the previous game. His squad gained the upper hand thanks to his brilliant raids, which included the dismissals of Mohammadreza Shadloui and Nitin Panwar. U Mumba’s well-balanced offensive and defense strategy made sure they maintained their four-point lead despite Dahiya’s valiant attempts on behalf of the Giants.
U Mumba took full control of the game with a powerful attacking and defensive performance in the second half. Parteek Dahiya was swiftly neutralized by Lokesh and Zafardanesh when the Giants attempted to bring him in for some spark. Sunil led the defense admirably once more, stopping the Giants’ momentum with crucial tackles on Rakesh.
Sandeep not only kept the scoreboard moving during the onslaught, but he also quickly dismissed Shadloui and Rohit Nandal with an ALL OUT in the ninth minute. That turned the tide of the match decisively in U Mumba’s favor, as they led the Gujarat Giants 23–11 at the interval, giving them much to cheer about.
Early in the second half, U Mumba maintained their dominance and increased their lead. The Giants attempted to slow down the pace by making substitutions, but U Mumba’s defense—this time under Rinku’s leadership—repeatedly stopped their advances. However, Sandeep continued to be the major player, planning successful attacks in spite of the Giants’ defenders’ sporadic tackles.
Ajit and the defense supported Sandeep’s efforts, with the raider carrying out crucial raids to exploit the Giants’ weaknesses. During this time, U Mumba’s dominance was essentially cemented when another ALL OUT went their way. U Mumba established a decisive 33-16 advantage over Gujarat Giants at the ninth minute of the second half.
In the closing stages of the game, U Mumba continued to dominate, dictating both attack and defense to deny the Giants any hope of a comeback. U Mumba’s defense made timely tackles to keep the scoreboard firmly in their favor even as the Giants added new raiders.
Sandeep kept leading the raids, working well with Anil and Ajit Chouhan to eliminate important Giants players. The majority of the raids ended in fruitless or ineffective attempts as the Giants tried to establish rhythm in the final minutes. U Mumba’s patient approach and well-timed changes allowed them to increase their lead and win by a commanding 15 points.
