In the Inter-zone Wildcard matches of PKL 2018, U Mumba from Zone A take on the U.P. Yoddha from Zone B at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata today, Saturday at 8 pm IST.
U Mumba is coming off a 35-35 tie against the Jaipur Pink Panthers on the back of a few defensive mistakes that cost them the match.
Fazel Atrachali has led his team by example this season. In his first season as a captain for U Mumba, he has managed to score 77 tackle points and is currently in the second position of the most tackle points list.
Siddharth Desai has been a revelation, not only for U Mumba but for the entire Kabaddi scene in India. His performance this season has, definitely, carved him a place in the National side.
The Yoddhas, on the other hand, came with all guns blazing and trounced the reigning champions, Patna Pirates by a 16-point margin (47-31) in their last encounter.
The Yoddhas have blown hot and cold throughout the tournament, but on the night against the Pirates, it was the perfect culmination of raiding prowess and defensive strength that gave them the crucial win to stay alive in the competition.
The two teams, U Mumba and UP Yoddha, have faced each other once before in the season, in Match 61, where U Mumba came out on top with a 41-24 win.
Key Battles to keep an eye on
#1 Siddharth Desai (two-sided raider) vs Nitesh Kumar (right corner)
#2 Prashant Kumar Rai (left raider) vs Dharmaraj Cheralathan (right corner)
Probable playing 7
U Mumba: Fazel Atrachali (c), Siddharth Desai, Rohit Baliyan, Abhishek Singh, Surender Singh, Rohit Rana, and Dharmaraj Cheralathan
UP Yoddha: Nitesh Kumar (c), Azad Singh, Shrikant Jadhav, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Narender, Jeeva Kumar, and Sachin Kumar
When and where to watch: 20:00 IST on the Star Sports network and on digital streaming platform Hotstar.
Catch the latest updates of the Pro Kabaddi Points Table here at Sportskeeda.