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U Mumba ended their home leg with a fine win over rivals Gujarat Fortune Giants, notching up a 32-20 scoreline to earn the bragging rights in the Western derby. Surinder Singh was the star of the show for the Mumbai side, picking up a High 5 in defence and adding the icing on the cake with an improbable four-point super raid in the dying moments of the game.
After a tight first half, U Mumbai wrested the initiative from the opposition through Rohit Baliyan's super raid - his team's first of the season. Gujarat looked to fight back but the hosts held their nerve in critical situations to pick up the five points.
As a result, they have now leapfrogged Gujarat and made their way to the top of the table with 17 points but have played a number of games more than their rivals. For Gujarat though, it was a first defeat of the campaign as the season's tagline 'Iss se touch kuch nahi' continues to be dead accurate.
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#5 Surinder Singh and Abhishek Singh on fire at the start
The half-time score read 9-7 in U Mumba's favour and astonishingly, eight of the points of the Mumbai-based side were split equally between the two Singhs - Surinder Singh and Abhishek Singh. The duo combined in fine style to help their team start strong in what was billed as a crucial encounter against a formidable opposition.
Surinder - the cover defender, who can be a tad wasteful in his tackling and timing, was flawless in the first 20 minutes against Gujarat. The man from Himachal recorded a 100% strike rate, scoring four tackle points from four attempts as the Fortunegiants' raiders just could not hold their own against him.
Abhishek picked up four points as well, three of which came while raiding. His successful do-or-die raid in the dying moments of the first half ensured that his team went into the break with the advantage.
#4 Mumbai with a slight advantage at the break
The match began on a tight note, as has been the pattern over the season so far, with both sides tussling to seize the initiative. Both defenses remained solid and did not offer much room for the raiders, with do-or-die raids being the main scoring opportunity.
After 15 minutes, no side enjoyed a lead of over two points and U Mumba made it 8-5 as Abhishek produced a fine tackle in defense. However, Gujarat were quick to bounce back with a super tackle of their own through Ankit, who brought down Abhishek this time around.
However, the hosts went into the break on top through a magnificent tackle by skipper Fazel Atrachali who picked up his first point of the night with a trademark ankle hold. As a result, the Fortunegiants were down to three defenders on the court as the teams went into the breather, handing the initiative to U Mumba.
#3 U Mumba inflict a critical all-out
U Mumba did well to build on the momentum they generated at the end of the first half and they opened up a sizeable lead early in the second period, subjecting Gujarat to an all-out five minutes after the break.
Gujarat leveled the score at 9-9 after a Parvesh Bhainswal Super Tackle but an all-round performance saw them pick up three points in a row and reduce Gujarat to one defender on the mat, as the season 5 runners up failed to respond to U Mumba's challenge.
Arjun Deshwal came off the bench to pick up a raid point while Surinder and Fazel continued their fine run in defense to keep Manpreet Singh's side at bay.
Abhishek Singh picked up his fifth point as he completed the formalities of the all-out, thus making it 15-9 on the scoreboard and extending his team's lead to six points.
#2 Rohit Baliyan widens the gap with a momentous super raid
As the Fortune Giants returned to the mat and looked to make their way back into the contest, they were handed another critical blow by U Mumba, this time through raider Rohit Baliyan, who opened his account with a super raid in the 32nd minute.
Attacking from the left, he escaped the ankle hold from the Gujarat right corner, only to be met by a powerful dash from the Gujarat cover chain. However, he held his ground and from under the tackle, he slipped in his hand and ensured that his fingertips crossed the mid-line.
Even that was not enough for Rohit as he asked for a review of the decision, for a fourth point from the officials. However, it was turned down. Despite the loss of the review, it was a huge moment in the game and also the season, as it marked U Mumba's first super raid of the campaign.
#1 Young Chang Ko 's tackle, Surinder's super raid seal the deal for U Mumba
With the deficit at 10 points, Manpreet Singh brought on a few fresh faces onto the mat, who dug deep and reduced the gap to three - taking the scoreline to 15-18 and bringing down U Mumba to just two defenders on the mat.
Harmanjit came on to raid and looked to have picked up a touch on the right corner but Korean import Young Chang Ko recovered excellently and was ably supported by Fazel, to affect a super tackle, thus restoring his team's advantage.
Surinder, who had been enjoying a great game in defence so far, took the result beyond Gujarat with a super raid. The defender, who did not have even a single raid point in his PKL career, picked up four straight ones with a fine effort - taking out Parvesh Bhainswal, Sunil Kumar, Ruturaj Koravi and Sumit.
Another all-out was then completed as U Mumba coasted to the final whistle - winning 32-20 and handing Gujarat their first loss of the season.
