Season 4 of Pro Kabaddi is less than a fortnight away and as usual things begin to get a little taxing for Coach Bhaskaran and his men. Hence, U Mumba decided to take some necessary time off and put their cooking hats on. Four U Mumba players teamed up for a cook-off with the assistance of two brilliant chefs at the Courtyard Marriott on Tuesday afternoon.
On a day where the winner would be decided based on taste and appearance of the food, captain Anup Kumar and local boy Rishank Devadiga were partnered up with the new boys of U Mumba, Manoj Dhull and Sunil Kumar respectively.
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Provided with a set menu and the guidance of the chefs, the Mumbai Boys whipped up four surprisingly scrumptious dishes in just an hour, encouraged by the cheers of their fellow teammates. As coaches Bhaskaran and Ravi Shetty looked on in amusement, plating was complete and it was time for the judgement.
Rishank and Sunil had prepared Dal Fry and Bhindi Aloo while Anup and Manoj had prepared Gobi with Jeera Rice. Both the coaches and the two chefs tasted their dishes and found it extremely difficult to come to a consensus on the winner. They decided to huddle up and pick a winner. Post several minutes of deliberation, Rishank and new signing, Sunil were adjudged the winners of the Cook-Off.
Armed with a new look side this season, Coach Bhaskaran also spoke to Sportskeeda about his side’s preseason preparations, “This season will definitely be a challenge for us. Thirteen players have left us. The new players who have arrived this season have to be incorporated into the team.
“Plus, we have to improve their performance as well. It’s important to improve their fitness level and train them accordingly. But I think we’re at a good level now. They’ve definitely improved their skills as well”, he said.
U Mumba’s lost to Patna Pirates in a nail-biting final just three months back, something that would definitely be on Bhaskaran’s mind considering the high standards he sets for himself and the team. But he seemed confident about his side heading into season 4- “Hopefully we’ll be ready when it’s time. We still have around ten days left.
“We’ve selected a couple of players from the services team and have a good player for the right cover position. He had a great season with Pune last time, I am talking about Surjeet. We selected him to strengthen our defence”, he concluded.
