U Mumba star raider Shabeer Bapu made a stunning display when it mattered the most as the Mumbai side decimated Patna Pirates in the second semi-final game of the Pro Kabaddi League 2015 on Friday at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai.
The scoreline read 35-18 in Mumbai's favour at the end, and the difference in the class between the teams was evident from the score itself.
Anup Kumar led U Mumba like a true leader to make them reach the final of the Pro Kabaddi League for a second-straight time. However, the performance of the hosts was not limited to Anup and Shabeer. All of the players performed as a unit to clinch the big victory.
Mumbai defender Surender Nada couldn't have found a better occasion to pick up an individual record, as he earned as many as 10 tackle points, which included one super tackle.
Patna Pirates, in every department and aspect of the game, were completely overwhelmed. At the half time, the score was a menacing 22-6 in U Mumba's favour.
Be it the Korean Tae Deok Eom or Deepak Narwal or Gurvinder Singh, the star raiders from the Pirates roster had no answer to the Mumbai defence, barricaded by the hard-rock trio of Jeeva Kumar, Mohit Chhillar, and Surender.
Deepak may have top scored for Patna Pirates on the day, but the unavailability of former Indian skipper Rakesh Kumar came as a real heavy blow for the visitors.
Rishank Devadiga also gave a good showing for U Mumba, but it was the performances of Arjuna awardee Arun and Shabeer that dashed even the feeblest hopes of the Patna side to make a comeback.
Surender, with his performances in the second half, also stole hearts of the home fans. A super tackle on Korean Deok Eom via an ankle hold in the closing stages was cheered by all, as he earned two points for his team.
"Both our defence and offence is strong and this was the reason for all our successes. Our aim was to win with a point margin of at least 10-15 points. From the first match itself, we wanted to reach the finals and we have achieved this, which is good," said U Mumba defender Vishal Mane.
U Mumba face Bengaluru Bulls in the final of the Pro Kabaddi League 2015 on 23 August, while Patna Pirates take on Telugu Titans for the third place on the same day.
