U Mumba and Haryana Steelers will try to hold on to their places in the upper half of the points table when they face off in the 49th match of Pro Kabaddi 2019 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
For U Mumba, this has been a start-stop kind of a season. They have four wins and four losses from a total of eight matches, and will hope to register a win against the Haryana Steelers.
Abhishek Singh has been U Mumba’s most successful raider this season. As the season progressed, U Mumba also saw the rise of Arjun Deshwal who also scored a super 10 against the Bengal Warriors. Their last match against Patna saw Rohit Baliyan score 9 points and his return to form will be crucial for the side.
The trio of Fazel Atrachali (22 points), Surinder Singh (24 points) and Sandeep Narwal (21 points) have combined to make U Mumba’s defense a formidable one. These experienced defenders will have a big role to play in the season ahead.
Haryana Steelers enjoyed a three-match winning run before their loss to Telugu Titans and would hope to gain some points. Their raiders have risen at the right time after a slowish start this season. Vikas Kandola (51 points) has been performing consistently for the Steelers and will get support from Prashanth Rai.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the veteran defender has received enough support from Sunil and Vikas Kale. U Mumba do not boast of a star raider and that might just give this sturdy Haryana defense an edge over them.
Predicted Starting 7s
U Mumba: Fazel Atrachali (C), Abhishek Singh, Arjun Deshwal, Rohit Baliyan, Surinder Singh, Athul MS, Sandeep Narwal.
Haryana Steelers: Dharmaraj Cheralathan (C), Vikas Kandola, Naveen, Vinay, Vikas Kale, Sunil, Ravi Kumar.
Match Prediction
The U Mumba raiders did well against Patna but will find themselves under some pressure against an in form Haryana defense led by Cheralathan. Much of U Mumba’s success will depend on the performance of their defensive department.
Haryana Steelers have done well in both the departments and in order to win, they must take the advantage of a relatively weak Mumbai attack.
Haryana Steelers are expected to win this encounter against U Mumba.
Where and when to watch
Date: Monday, 19th August 2019
Start time: 7:30 IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai
Live telecast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Hotstar
Live updates: Sportskeeda
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