Pro Kabaddi 2019: Match 12, U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan - Match Preview, Predicted 7 and Dream11 Kabaddi Prediction

Modified Jul 26, 2019 20:18 IST

Can U Mumba get their home leg off to a winning start?

In the first match of the Mumbai leg of Pro Kabaddi 2019, home side U Mumba will take on neighbors Puneri Paltan in the first Maharashtrian derby of the season at the Dome@ NSCI SVP Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday, 27th July at 7:30 PM IST.

U Mumba walk into this game after a five-day break post their crushing 21-point defeat to rivals Jaipur Pink Panthers. The tackle points just didn't come and they might have to address the weaknesses in their defense before this game against the Puneri Paltan.

Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan will look to make amends to their campaign on the back of their 10-point loss to the Haryana Steelers and will certainly be boosted by the return of ace raider Nitin Tomar, who sat out the opener owing to a muscle pull.

This fixture has produced a couple of stunning encounters in the past and is likely to do so this time as well.

U Mumba

Key Players: Abhishek Singh, Fazel Atrachali and Sandeep Narwal

U Mumba were all over the place in the game against Jaipur and while their raiders weren't able to score enough points, their defensive unit was surprisingly very sloppy. Both Fazel Atrachali and Sandeep Narwal need to up their game and so does Harendra Kumar, although he could be replaced by Young Chang Ko in the cover position.

In the raiding department, Abhishek Singh and Dong Geon Lee did do a decent job but Rohit Baliyan and Athul MS failed to provide the necessary support and will need to pull their socks up and contribute against a mighty Pune defense department led by Surjeet Singh.

Puneri Paltan

The Pune defense was sloppy against the Steelers.

Key Players: PO Surjeet Singh, Nitin Tomar and Girish Maruti Ernak

The Paltan missed the services of star raider Nitin Tomar although Pawan Kumar Kadian's Super 10 did make up for his absence to a certain extent. It was however, the defensive unit which let the side down as the team's marquee defenders, skipper Surjeet Singh and Girish Ernak could manage just a solitary point between them. It remains a doubt if Tomar will be able to take part in the match but if he does, he could be the 'X-factor' for the team.

Shubham Shinde in the right corner was the only bright spark in a rather dull show from their first game and they will certainly hope that their key players shine for them. Young Manjeet showed some promise, picking up 5 raid points and his ability to use his pace and reach to good effect will be a major talking point from this game.

Predicted starting 7s

U Mumba: Fazel Atrachali(C), Sandeep Narwal, Surender Singh, Young Chang Ko, Rohit Baliyan, Dong Geon Lee and Abhishek Singh.

Puneri Paltan: PO Surjeet Singh(C), Girish Maruti Ernak, Nitin Tomar/ Darshan Kadian, Manjeet, Pawan Kumar Kadian, Jadhav Shahaji and Shubham Shinde.