Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Predicting U Mumba's starting seven for the initial matches

The franchise based out of Mumbai, U Mumba has been one of the most reputed franchises in Pro Kabaddi till date.

Season 2 champions, U Mumba is owned by Unilazer Ventures Pvt. Ltd. owned by Ronnie Screwwala.

Out of 82 matches, U Mumba has won 53 matches, with a 64.63% winning percentage record led by India's finest Kabaddi captain, Anup Kumar.

In Season 5, U Mumba had a raider dominated squad with a less experienced defence. U Mumba till season 4 were noted to have balance in every arsenal of their lineup.

But their new strategy didn't work out pretty well as raiders such as Kashiling Adake, Nitin Madane, and Shabeer Bappu were under the clouds for the majority of the group stages. With a weaker defense, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs as they could only win 10 matches out of 22.

The burden of both raiding and defending was on Anup Kumar. Even in some encounters, Anup was seen playing the left corner position which distracted his raiding mindset most of the times because of which he got only 135 raid points in 21 matches.

U Mumba's newly found turbanator, Surinder Singh debuted in fine fashion to get 58 tackle points in 22 matches but the other defenders couldn't even cross 25 tackle points.

The corner duo of Anna-Fazel will bring nostalgic memories from the past

The biggest shocker arrived during the Season 6 auctions when U Mumba parted ways with Anup Kumar and refused to retain him by any means. Having no elite retentions ahead of the tournament, U Mumba decided to retain 3 NYP players ahead of the auctions namely Shiv Om, E Subash and Surinder Singh.

For season 6, U Mumba has signed 20 players ahead of the tournament along with their biggest signing, Fazel Atrachali who was bought for an enormous amount of ₹1 crore. Gholamreza Mazandarani, the first ever foreign coach in Pro Kabaddi will instruct U Mumba for the upcoming event along with Upendra Kumar who'll be the assistant coach. Here's a look to how U Mumba may start their proceedings for the playing 7.

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Right Corner: Dharmaraj Cherelathan

Dharmaraj Cherelathan has played from Bengaluru Bulls, Patna Pirates, and Puneri Paltan in the past

Kabaddi's beloved "Anna" is a 43-year-old warrior who's known to tackle young and speedy raiders with his powerful defense. He is a super tackle specialist with 18 super tackles, the most by any defender in Pro Kabaddi history

A versatile player who can adapt in any defensive position whether it be any side of corners or covers, Dharmaraj is known for his thigh holds and beastly blocks. In 77 matches, he has 176 tackle points with an average of 2.29 tackle points per match.

His vast experience in the Pro Kabaddi League is admirable and still, he's one of the exciting defenders to watch out for who'll aid the rock-solid defensive strength of the team.

Right In: Abolfazl Maghsoudloo

Abolfazl will be joining Fazel in their homecoming to U Mumba for Season 6

Abolfazl was an experienced campaigner who was Dabang Delhi K.C.'s major raider in Season 5. Abolfazl has played for U Mumba and Patna Pirates before, where he has scored 116 raid points in 31 matches averaging 3.74 raid points per match.

Abolfazl has a height of 6 feet 2 inches that allows him to take bonuses swiftly and perfect toe touches. Abolfazl will be highly considered for the do or die raids and will be the go-to man for crucial situations.

Considering U Mumba has little experience in their raiding unit, Abolfazl will look to play a bit more mature and will take much responsibility up to his shoulders.

Right Cover: Surinder Singh

Surinder Singh attempting a dash on Rohit Kumar

A young and flamboyant defender from Himachal Pradesh, Surinder Singh had an entertaining debut season in Pro Kabaddi Season 5. He is known to tackle big match players and got 58 tackle points in 152 tackle attempts averaging 2.64 tackle points per match.

His performance against Haryana Steelers in U Mumba's second match was glorious to watch considering how Surinder targeted the raiders diving on their ankles from the right corner.

A player who can play both right cover and right corner, he had three high 5s last season with a perfect mix of waist holds, dives, body blocks, and dashes.

All in all, fans will be excited to see how Surinder will bring maturity to his game and the combination tackles of Fazel-Surinder will surely be a feast to the eyes!

Center: Abhishek Singh

Abhishek Singh had a fantastic outing in the Senior Nationals in Rahul Chaudhari's Uttar Pradesh

Many U Mumba fans scratched their heads in astonishment when U Mumba bid heavily for a Category-C raider and signed him for ₹42.8 lakhs. Abhishek Singh is expected to be the next big thing in Pro Kabaddi Season 6!

This new addition to the raiding line up is a sensation on his own having quick reflexes. He has a plethora of raiding skills like running hand touches and jumps over the defenders. He improvises the art of modern raiding skills and loves to take quick bonuses.

He is yet to arrive in the Pro Kabaddi scene but some fine display of action-packed raiding is surely up for grabs!

Left Cover: Rohit Rana

Rohit Rana is known for his fierce dashes being a roadblock in raiders' way to the midline.

This masked man is among highly contended defenders in Pro Kabaddi. Rohit Rana is a hulk in the left cover position who loves to target the lower body portion of the raiders who try to sneak a touch point under his defense.

Rana loves to execute beautiful dives on the knees and his dashes are fabulous. He has 98 tackle points in 63 matches, however, his assists to the right corner are simply amazing.

Rohit has played from Jaipur Pink Panthers and Telegu Titans in the past and will show no remorse once when he steps as U Mumba's pillar of defense.

Left In: Vinod Kumar

Vinod Kumar (Center) was bought by the team for ₹22.25 lakhs

Vinod Kumar who plays from Haryana team in the Senior Nationals who was a fantastic addition to the Patna Pirates winning squad of 2017.

An attacking all-rounder, Vinod came in as substitutions for the major part of the gameplay and saved Patna from getting all out inflicted.

He has good escaping skills and unique set of shuffling in opponent's territory. Vinod also loves to target the double thighs of the raiders and get even tackle points for his team. Vinod brought 34 raid points and 14 tackle points in Season 5.

Vinod will be looking to bring unique display as an all-rounder and will be looking to continue his positive heroics for U Mumba.

Left Corner: Fazel Atrachali

Fazel is expected to lead a side which is a mix of rock-solid defense and young agile raiders.

Perhaps the best international defender in Pro Kabaddi, Fazel Atrachali is the only foreign player to have more than a century of tackle points in Pro Kabaddi.

A former wrestler hailing from Gorgan, Iran, Fazel has 152 tackle points in 56 matches averaging 2.71 tackle points per match. He immensely displays high-quality waist holds and shows his wrestling abilities through his powerful body blocks.

Two-time silver and two-time gold medalist in Pro Kabaddi, Fazel is undeniably the most adored foreigner in Pro Kabaddi who is expected to lead U Mumba for Season 6. Fazel being the first crorepati of Pro Kabaddi, it'll be happiness all around when he enjoys his homecoming to the place where it all began!