U Mumba go up against Puneri Paltan in the Pro Kabaddi League at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
This is the last league game for both U Mumba and Puneri Paltan. U Mumba from here head to the semi-finals whereas Puneri Paltan are left with a lot to ponder about as they languish in last place.
U Mumba, who are in second place, led the points table for most of the tournament, but now have been eclipsed by Jaipur Pink Panthers.
In the recent past, the Mumbai team have lost a bit of form and with it some of their aura of dominance. Despite this they have seen to it that a semi-final spot is theirs. They in fact arrested a losing slide in their last encounter against Dabang Delhi, which saw them qualify for the last-four. Before that they had not won four games on the trot and this would have been starting to concern them. The win against the boys from Delhi would have settled their nerves.
The boys from Mumbai, however, do have an area, which could see improvement. It is their defence that they would hope work on in this game of academic interest against Puneri Paltan.
In the game against Dabang Delhi they were trailing by eight points at the end of the first half. Delhi's raider Kashiling Adake was causing quite a few problems for them. Even early in the tournament their defence at times showed that they could be susceptible. Without a shadow of doubt, the defence has to improve before the sterner tests in the semi-final.
U Mumba fans, though, can take heart from the form their team's offense is in. It is the offense led by the marauding Anup Kumar that brought them back into the game against Dabang Delhi. U Mumba will hope that this form continues in this game and the semi-finals as well.
For Puneri Paltan their tournament will come to an end after this game. Barring a few games they have looked completely out of place in this tournament as they are last. Only two wins from 13 games have left them in this position. They never managed to get going in the tournament.
Huge losses at the hands of Telugu Titans and Dabang Delhi would have dented their confidence further. In this game against U Mumba they have to somehow put all these losses behind and give their fans something to cheer about.
U Mumba will look to dominate again while Puneri Paltan hope to sign off on a winning note —fans are in for a good time.
Where to Watch Live:
U Mumba play Puneri Paltan at 8 pm. Star Sports will air the match. Live coverage will comence on Star Sports HD 2. This is the link for the live streaming option on starsports.com.
