PKL 11: U Mumba part ways with defense coach Jeeva Kumar ahead of Pro Kabaddi League 2024/25

Former Pro Kabaddi League champions U Mumba have parted ways with their defense coach Jeeva Kumar ahead of the new PKL season. Kumar, who played a major role in U Mumba's championship win in season two, joined the team as a defense coach last season.

Despite having a veteran like Jeeva Kumar as the defense coach, U Mumba could not achieve much success in the tackling department. The Mumbai-based franchise had the second-lowest successful tackles in the previous Pro Kabaddi League season.

In 22 matches, U Mumba pulled off only 199 successful tackles while the champions Puneri Paltan executed 331 successful tackles. Only Bengal Warriors (192) had fewer successful tackles than U Mumba in PKL 10. Hence, it seems like the team owners want a new defense coach now.

Announcing Jeeva's departure from the franchise, U Mumba wrote on Instagram yesterday:

"We at U Mumba extend our heartfelt thanks to Jeeva Kumar for his invaluable contributions to our team. Wishing him all the best in his future endeavors! Jeeva will always remain a strong part of our U Mumba family."

Fans of U Mumba team expressed their gratitude to Jeeva for his services. Some even questioned why the franchise was letting go of such an experienced player from the support staff.

Jeeva Kumar is enjoying his life after retirement

While U Mumba have not announced their new defense coach, Jeeva seems to be having a good time in his personal life. The former U Mumba defender recently shared a vlog on his Instagram profile, where he could be seen enjoying himself at the beach.

Jeeva shared the videos three days ago, with more than 250 fans liking the video. It will be interesting to see if Jeeva joins another franchise as a coach ahead of season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League.