"They haven’t been able to provide the level of assistance the team needed" - Sunil Kumar on Zafardanesh and Manjeet's performance in PKL 11

U Mumba captain Sunil Kumar did not hold back in expressing his disappointment with the performances of lead raiders Amirmohammad Zafardanesh and Manjeet in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 11. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, the veteran leader pointed out that the team's reliance on debutant Ajit Chouhan has exposed the inefficiencies in their raiding unit.

Ajit, who is in his maiden PKL season, has been a revelation, amassing 180 raid points in 22 games, placing him fourth on the list of players with the most raid points. However, U Mumba have faltered whenever Ajit has had an off day, as Zafardanesh and Manjeet have failed to step up. The Iranian has managed a paltry 59 raid points, while Manjeet, the more experienced of the two, has only managed 97 raid points this season.

Sunil Kumar did not mince words when addressing this critical shortfall, as he said:

“Ajit is our leading raider. If he doesn’t perform well, our raiding unit struggles to deliver. While Zafardanesh and Manjeet have supported him, they haven’t been able to provide the level of assistance the team needed. However, I’m confident that as we move into the eliminator or semi-final, they will step up.”

Despite the inconsistent performances of Zafardanesh and Manjeet, U Mumba have found a hero in Rohit Raghav, who has delivered crucial points as a super sub.

“Rohit Raghav has been performing well too, and I have full faith that Ajit will rise to the occasion and play brilliantly in the crucial matches," Sunil Kumar added.

On the defensive front, the emergence of Lokesh Ghosliya has provided a boost. Lokesh replaced Sombir, who was dropped for undisclosed reasons, and put in a stellar performance against Patna Pirates in the last league game, securing three tackle points, all against Patna's main raider Devank.

Sunil Kumar continued:

“Lokesh is playing exceptionally well. He’s a New Young Player (NYP), and handling the pressure on such a big platform isn’t easy. But he has done a fantastic job despite being relatively inexperienced. His future looks very bright, and I’m sure he will achieve great things going forward.”

Sunil Kumar, PKL’s most successful captain, was roped in by U Mumba in the PKL 11 auction after leading Jaipur Pink Panthers to the title in Season 9. With him at the helm, U Mumba have ended their three-season playoff drought, finishing fifth on the table with 12 wins in 22 games. Sunil reflected on the trust placed in him by the team management, saying:

“The trust that the coach and management have placed in me, first by selecting me in the auction and then by making me captain, has been immense. U Mumba hadn’t qualified for the playoffs in the last three seasons, and the entire responsibility of changing that was on my shoulders. We planned each match carefully, analyzing our opponents and preparing accordingly. Most of the time, we succeeded with those plans, which is why we managed to qualify this season.”

Haryana Steelers coach Manpreet Singh, a former mentor to Sunil Kumar, in a conversation with Sportskeeda, recently predicted that Sunil would lead U Mumba to the semi-finals or finals. If U Mumba progress, a showdown against Haryana is likely in the final. Sunil acknowledged the praise but also emphasized the need to correct past mistakes, as Mumba lost to Haryana in both league matches this season. He said:

“I’d like to thank Coach Manpreet Singh for speaking so highly of me. If we face his team in the playoffs, it will likely be in the final. We’ll make sure not to repeat the mistakes we made in the previous two matches against them and will give our best effort to defeat them this time.”

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Sunil Kumar and U Mumba’s plans to tackle Devank and Ayan of Patna Pirates

U Mumba will face Patna Pirates in Eliminator 2 on Thursday, December 26, with Patna relying heavily on their young raiding duo of Devank and Ayan. U Mumba defeated Patna twice in the league stages, with scores of 42-40 and 43-37. In the same interview, Sunil Kumar highlighted the tactical advantage of targeting aggressive raiders like Devank and Ayan, saying:

“Devank and Ayan are both excellent raiders. They always aim to score points, which is a big positive for us. Raiders who take risks and try their best give us an advantage because we can target them and catch them. On the other hand, raiders who play safe disrupt the balance of their team. So, it works in our favor when they are proactive.”