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On August 6, a reasonably satisfied U Mumba contingent walked out of the auction room. The group, consisting of various officials, among whom present were newly appointed head coach Anil Chaprana and the strength and conditioning coach Sandeep Hammer, would perhaps not have imagined what was in store for them.
What followed was a barrage of slander against the team management by fans of the Mumbai-based outfit. Despite the duo of Chaprana and Hammer trying to convince the fans that the auction had gone according to plan, there were questions raised about the team management's strategies.
There were, however, ardent fans of the franchise who believed in the squad that had been assembled. Despite not snapping up Pawan Sehrawat, whom U Mumba went hammer and tongs after, they smartly stuck to their Plan B and got together a decent squad.
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The absence of a big name in the side was perhaps one of the biggest talking points. U Mumba has been home to a host of superstars and fans were deprived of one in the current season.
Although Guman Singh, Surinder Singh and Rinku made their mark in the earlier editions of the tournament, they had not done enough to warrant themselves a place among the best yet.
Fans were also unhappy with the fact that U Mumba, which is known to be a side loyal to its players, had let go of 'Sultan' Fazel Atrachali and the duo of Abhishek Singh and V Ajith Kumar, who had served the franchise well.
Here are a few talking points on the basis of UMumba's impressive performances in the ongoing season:
1. A cloud of doubt loomed over U Mumba captaincy
Over the years, U Mumba has been captained by the likes of Anup Kumar and Fazel Atrachali, and questions were raised as to who will lead a relatively inexperienced side.
The addition of Vishal Mane to the side led to speculations that the veteran right cover defender, who was a part of the title-winning U Mumba side in Season 2, would don the orange jersey yet again and be at the helm.
The captaincy of the side was handed to the right cover defender, just not Vishal Mane. Surinder Singh was making a comeback to the side after a stint at the Telugu Titans, was handed over the captaincy reins.
So far, Surinder Singh has looked quite mature and has gotten past his aggressive 'go-for-every-tackle' phase. He bears a calm head on his shoulder now and has led the side strategically and in a manner which perhaps not many expected of him.
Captaincy has also gotten the best out of Surinder Singh, with him featuring in the top ten defenders of the tournament ahead of their game against the Telugu Titans. He has also inspired his fellow defenders and U Mumba are becoming a team known specifically for their Super Tackles.
Ahead of Match 52, U Mumba have the most tackle points by a team, despite having played a game lesser than the next few teams that followed beneath them. Such has been the defensive prowess of the side which has come out all guns blazing.
2. U Mumba's defense is unparalleled this season
Taking forward the discussion regarding U Mumba's defensive strategies, they have managed to keep the lead raider of the opposition quiet on most occasions. They have planned immaculately against big names such as Vikash Kandola, Maninder Singh and Manjeet, and some of the best raiders in the tournament have just not been able to perform against the side.
One area where they could improve is their tactics against the secondary raider. In a game where Maninder was kept quiet, Shrikant Jadhav scored a Super 10. In a game where Vikash Kandola was sent to the bench, it was Bharat who turned the tide in favor of the Bulls.
3. Raiding - the only possible chink in U Mumba's armour
The raiding department paints a completely different picture. Ahead of Match 52, U Mumba are 11th in number of raids. Guman Singh started off slowly and has been largely inconsistent. Ashish Narwal has been decent but has not been given a long rope.
Jai Bhagwan chips in while Heiderali Ekrami has contributed in crucial situations. Despite the lack of raiding prowess, there is just something about the U Mumba side that ensures that everything works out for them on most occasions.
4. Youngsters - the way forward?
U Mumba have a young squad who were not given a chance by too many kabaddi experts and pundits. However, they had an element of surprise and were perhaps taken lightly by the sides following their 14-point thrashing in the curtain-raiser against Dabang Delhi K.C.
Having a young set-up allows the Mumbai-based outfit to stick to their strategy of playing an aggressive defense. Youngsters are not afraid to go for tackles and their strategy has paid off more often than not. Although they are a touch reliant on how their defense performs, the raiding too has stepped up.
Even Tamil Thalaivas followed a similar template and following the injury to Pawan Sehrawat, the Thalaivas had a squad full of youngsters. With Ashan Kumar taking up head coach responsibilities, he has brought out the best in his side and has shown how youngsters can step up and deliver.
Although experience cannot be discounted, there are many veterans who have just failed to get going. A good example would be of the Telugu Titans - having a squad consisting of some of the biggest names in the Kabaddi circuit. They find themselves twelfth on the table.
At a time like this, teams will perhaps look at what sides like U Mumba possess and the answer to that is a young, motivated squad looking to make a mark. Perhaps following up from this, teams would like to include more youngsters in the following season.
5. U Mumba - the dark horses of PKL 2022?
Despite not being given much of a chance, U Mumba has certainly exceeded expectations thus far. They have been fearless in their approach and have gone about their business in a professional manner - so much so that their lack of experience has not shown.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi 2022: 3 reasons why U Mumba could win PKL 9
In conclusion, we return to the initial question - did we judge U Mumba too harshly post the auction? And the answer to that is yes, perhaps we did. Perhaps all the criticism that was showered on them was unwarranted. U Mumba have turned up as one of the better teams this season and have certainly given a befitting reply to their critics thus far.
