The second match of the night featured fourth-placed U Mumba against the seventh-placed Bengal Warriors. Expectations of another enthralling match came to a naught as U Mumba dominated play and controlled pace with a strategic gem. Rishank Devadiga’s early exploits set the tone for the match and U Mumba capitalized for a comfortable eight-point victory in Pro Kabaddi season 4.
It was a match that pitted the aggressive brilliance of U Mumba against the defensive nous of the Warriors, lead by an experienced Nilesh Shinde. Rishank Devadiga has been mighty impressive in these early stages of the fourth season. And he imposed himself very early this evening to dent the Warriors.
The two stalwarts Anup Kumar and Rakesh Kumar, were as usual, playing impactful roles to subdue the team from Bengal. Rishank breached the defenses of Monu Goyat and Nilesh to inflict a telling blow right at the top of the first half.
U Mumba snatched a four-point lead, jumping to 5-1, barely minutes into the match. The cushion stretched to eight when they cleaned up the Warriors for a healthy 11-3 advantage.
As the match neared the first half, Shinde on the defense line and Surjeet Narwal on the raid provided some hope for the Warriors. Their captain produced a stunning ankle hold over Surender Singh while Narwal brushed the shirt of Anup Kumar.
As the two teams entered the break, U Mumba was firmly in control. They were enjoying a 16-9 lead, but more importantly, they appeared to manage the pace of the game far better than the team from Bengal.
Half Time: Bengal Warriors 9 – 16 U Mumba
Suresu Kumar showed great foot-eye co-ordination to inflict a toe touch on Nitin Madane to salvage an important point on a do or die raid. Anup seems to turn empty raids into an art form. The wily U Mumba captain uses it often to give his main raiders a breather just when they need it.
Anup was also clearly using his experience and calm to consume time, slowing the game at a time when Bengal was running out of time.
With less than eight minutes to play, Monu Goyat wandered too deep into the right corner looking for a touch point. Anup and his men brought him down as they retained a stranglehold on the match, with an eight-point cushion at 22-14.
As time ticked away, Bengal was merely looking to narrow the deficit. The match had already slipped out of the Warriors grasp, but U Mumba was in no mood to relent.
But despite some late aggression from Bengal, there wasn’t anything they could do to cover the distance that separated them from a dominant Mumbai team.
U Mumba built up a healthy cushion early in the game and held on to the advantage to inflict a painful 26-18 defeat on the Warriors.
U Mumba has eleven points from four matches with two victories and two defeats. The Warriors stay on seven points with one victory and two losses in their three matches.
Full Time: Bengal Warriors 18 – 26 U Mumba
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