A strong U Mumba attacking unit would be again looking for an easy win against a defensively-poor Haryana Steelers in today's PKL match.
U Mumba's team, with each and every performance, is slowly and steadily turning out to be the strongest team in the tournament with an agile attack and an experienced defence.
The young recruits, Abhishek Singh and Siddharth Desai, have both used their physicality to an advantage and displayed their raiding prowess, and potential of what the future holds for their opposition. Rohit Baliyan has been providing effective support to the duo and has managed to score raids at crucial junctures of the match.
The defence of U Mumba is slowly starting to take shape of a lethal combination of strong covers and experienced corners.
While Surender Singh has continued with his tentative blocks from last season, but the Mumba's captain Fazel Atrachali has been providing the support and guidance to young Surender that has shown improvement in his game.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the experienced right corner, while not the lethal defender he used to be has been the calm presence that the team needed in decisive moments.
The Steelers', on the other hand, would look to overturn their bad fortune with a good display against a strong U Mumba.
Naveen's 17-point raiding performance against the Jaipur Pink Panthers the last evening would surely give his teammates the confidence to improve their game and give their best against U Mumba.
Monu Goyat looks a little bogged down by the responsibility of leading the team, and the Steelers' coach and management should motivate him, and encourage him to perform the way he used to.
There needs to be shuffling in the Steelers' defensive set up, in order to find a combination of defenders who could work together well as a unit.
Probable playing 7:
U Mumba: Fazel Atrachali (c), Siddharth Desai, Rohit Baliyan, Abhishek Singh, Surender Singh, Rajguru Subramanian, and Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Haryana Steelers: Monu Goyat (c), Vikash Khandola, Naveen, Sunil, Sachin Shingade, Sudhanshu Tyagi, and Kuldeep Singh
When and where to watch: 21.00 IST on the Star Sports network and on the digital streaming platform, Hotstar.