U Mumba Vs Puneri Paltan 03 December 2024

Full-Time
U Mumba 43 - 29 Puneri Paltan

U Mumba simply obliterated the Paltan in the 2nd half of the match, winning 27-10 in the second 20 minutes. That is a huge win for them for so many reasons as they take revenge for their 28-35 defeat earlier in the season.

With that, their captain Sunil Kumar also becomes the most successful captain in PKL history with 74 wins, moving past Fazel Atrachali, who has 73 to his name, announce the broadcasters!

The first half of this match was dominated by the two defensive units, with a late Super Raid from Pankaj Mohite giving the Paltan a 3-point lead. But in the second half, U Mumba's Ajit Chauhan, who hails from Pune, gave the crowd plenty to cheer for and was too hot to handle for the Paltan defense, and his Super 10 was the main reason for U Mumba's comeback.

The U Mumba defense was also on song throughout the match, with Sunil Kumar and Sombir both picking up High 5s, as they registered a whopping 16 tackle points across the match!

That result rightfully takes U Mumba up to 3rd on the points table with nine wins in fifteen matches, while the Paltan remain rooted in 6th, albeit after taking a hit to their points difference.

The final leg of PKL 11 at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune has gotten off to a cracking start tonight, with two exciting clashes that left us thoroughly entertained! Join us again tomorrow for more intense PKL action as I, Shreyas, bid you adieu. Goodnight!

2nd Half, 40'
U Mumba 43 - 29 Puneri Paltan

Oh dear, U Mumba are running away with this! With the Paltan down to two, Akash Shinde tries to avoid a late all-out, but the U Mumba defense, like they have been all night, look formidable, and it's Parvesh who comes in with the challenge that's too good for the Pune captain.

It's a simple all-out for U Mumba, who take a 15-point lead now.

Aryavardhan Navale gets a running hand touch on Rinku, but it means very little in the context of this match. The whistle soon blows to draw the curtains on this high-octane Maharashtra Derby that ends up in a mauling for the Puneri Paltan.

U Mumba register a resounding 14-point win, moving to 3rd place on the points table.

2nd Half, 39'
U Mumba 39 - 27 Puneri Paltan

The U Mumba defense, however, has other ideas as Parvesh Bhainswal dives in with a well-timed ankle hold on the substitute Aryavardhan to take U Mumba's lead to ten points!

Make that 11 as Mohit Goyat overruns on his raid attempt, stumbling into the lobby without a touch. He has 0 points tonight in what has been a miserable evening!

The Paltan are down to three, and Manjeet makes it look really easy, isolating the defenders, and targeting Vaibhav Kamble, getting the touch on the defender's face.

2nd Half, 37'
U Mumba 36 - 27 Puneri Paltan

Manjeet profits from an error by Dadaso Pujari as U Mumba extend their lead even further, and the Paltan now call for a timeout.

With a little under three minutes to go, they'll want to reduce the margin of defeat and keep it within seven points, to take something from this game.

2nd Half, 36'
U Mumba 35 - 27 Puneri Paltan

Pankaj Mohite goes in and does really well to get the running hand touch on the right corner in a 1v4 situation to give the Paltan some hope once again.

However, the U Mumba defense just quash all hopes with another Super Tackle, and this time, it's Sunil Kumar who goes in with a crunching knee hold that's well supported by Sombir.

It's the U Mumba captain's turn to get to his High 5, and that could well be the win for U Mumba.

2nd Half, 34'
U Mumba 33 - 26 Puneri Paltan

Finally, Ajit Chauhan is tackled! The comeback is on from the Paltan as Ajit Chauhan is done in by a terrific back hold from Dadaso Pujari that reduces U Mumba to three.

Ohh, what a tackle that is from Sombir! The U Mumba left corner was in great form coming into this match, but he has been on another level in this second half! A solo Super Tackle that from Sombir on Mohit Goyat, as he puts in the best of ankle holds to leave the raider immobilized.

That's his High 5 as well!

Mohit Goyat and Aryavardhan Navale are subbed on for Akash Shinde and V Ajith Kumar, who have been quiet tonight.

2nd Half, 32'
U Mumba 31 - 25 Puneri Paltan

Abinesh Nadarajan and Amaan combine well to get the Paltan off to the perfect start post the timeout, sending Manjeet to the bench. Pankaj Mohite anticipates the challenge from Rohit Raghav, drawing an error and making the escape look really easy.

He has been their best raider tonight by some margin has Pankaj!

2nd Half, 30'
U Mumba 31 - 23 Puneri Paltan

Keep your eye on the scoreboard as the Paltan reduce the gap between the two teams to seven, as Ajith Kumar draws an error from Parvesh to open his account for a night.

However, he's eager to put in another raid before the timeout, and falls prey to an in-form Sombir, who deals with Ajith's attempted leap with ease, bringing him to the ground.

With a little under ten minutes to play, U Mumba have an 8-point lead and look like favorites to win this tie. Can the Paltan pull off a heist to turn this game around?

2nd Half, 29'
U Mumba 30 - 22 Puneri Paltan

Akash Shinde makes his way to the bench now with the left corner Sombir coming in with a strong block. The Paltan pull one back as Manjeet is brought down by a well-timed challenge from the substitute right corner Dadaso Pujari.

2nd Half, 27'
U Mumba 29 - 21 Puneri Paltan

Pankaj Mohite pulls one back for his side with an easy point against Sunil Kumar, but at the other end, this Pune defense has been unable to handle Ajit Chauhan.

He gets to 12 raid points for the night, slipping under the left cover's block, also picking up a bonus point along the way.

The U Mumba defense now strikes, Rinku and Rohit Raghav combining well to bring Pankaj Mohite down.

U Mumba take an 8-point lead now, and the Paltan look bereft of ideas!

2nd Half, 25'
U Mumba 26 - 20 Puneri Paltan

Ajit Chauhan single-handedly wipes the Puneri Paltan out, it has to be said! It's a do-or-die raid against a 2-man defense for Ajit, and Dadaso Pujari's challenge is well supported by Abinesh Nadarajan, but Ajit appears to have just got his fingertips past the mid-line.

The Paltan challenge the call, but the review will be unsuccessful.

U Mumba get the all-out and take a 6-point lead!

Ajit Chauhan gets to his Super 10.

2nd Half, 24'
U Mumba 22 - 20 Puneri Paltan

Ohh, Ajith Kumar is dashed off court by a really well-timed Parvesh Bhainswal challenge, but his partner Sunil Kumar goes out of bounds in the course of the challenge, resulting in a point each getting awarded.

As Akash Shinde looks to sneak in a point, Rohit Raghav does what he does best, diving in with a well-timed double ankle hold from the left-in position, reducing his team to two.

2nd Half, 22'
U Mumba 20 - 19 Puneri Paltan

And in the first raid of the half, U Mumba negate the Paltan's advantage through a brilliant Super Raid from Ajit Chauhan!

He is a powerful and pacy raider, and he shows how, escaping from Akash Shinde's weak ankle hold attempt before powering through the cover defenders' chain tackle.

Ajit continues his rampage to give U Mumba the lead, anticipating the challenge from the left corner and riding it with ease. 

Just like that, Pune are down to three now!

Half-Time
U Mumba 16 - 19 Puneri Paltan

And the Paltan claim the all-out before the end of the half. Pankaj easily reduces U Mumba to one, dealing with Sunil Kumar's challenge easily, and the substitute Rohit Raghav is smothered by the Pune defense in a flash as the Paltan finish the half on a high despite trailing for the most part.

This Maharashtra derby has lived up to its expectations so far, and it's the Paltan who hold a slender 3-point lead. In a game where defenses have been on top, it's a moment of magic from Pankaj Mohite that unlocked this game from its deadlock, and it'll be interesting to see if that dictates how the second half will flow.

1st Half, 19'
U Mumba 14 - 15 Puneri Paltan

Ohh, that is an astounding raid from Pankaj Mohite! Super Raid for the Paltan raider.

It was a 1v5 situation, and Pankaj went in deep towards Rinku in the right corner, only for the challenge to come in from the right-in, but when it seemed like the defense had it under control, Pankaj thrusts himself towards the mid-line, using the lobby really well, getting his arm past the mid-line before rolling off the mat.

Pune back in the lead for the first time tonight!

1st Half, 17'
U  Mumba 14 - 12 Puneri Paltan

Abinesh Nadarajan is on fire tonight! He picks up his 4th tackle point of the night, charging like a raging bull against Manjeet, who was always losing that battle despite being U Mumba's best raider of the night.

Meanwhile, Gaurav Khatri has been subbed off in the first half itself.

1st Half, 15'
U  Mumba 14 - 11 Puneri Paltan

Akash Shinde gets Sombir yet again with a diving hand touch, and on the next raid, Zafardanesh has no chance against a 5-man Pune defense that closes in on him, Pankaj Mohite claiming the tackle point.

However, Sunil Kumar sends Pankaj back to the bench with a really well-improvised advanced knee hold.

Ajit Chauhan is dashed out by Abinesh, but a point each is awarded as V Ajith Kumar loses his balance and goes out of bounds.

1st Half, 12'
U Mumba 12 - 8 Puneri Paltan

Ajit Chauhan has a terrific raid strike rate in the second phase of the first half, and he shows why with a point right after the break, using his pace to unsettle Pankaj Mohite in the right-in position and draw him into mistiming his challenge.

Akash Shinde hits back with a kick on Sombir in the left corner.

Ajit Chauhan is flying now! Gaurav Khatri looks a shadow of his self from earlier this season, and he's done in all ends up by Ajit, who deals with Sanket Sawant's block as well on the way to the mid-line to complete a two-point raid!

1st Half, 10'
U Mumba 9 - 7 Puneri Paltan

Manjeet breaks the streak of tackle points with a confident running hand touch on Gaurav Khatri, and his pace and physical presence is causing the Pune defense all kinds of problems.

Akash Shinde opens his account, drawing an error from Sombir on his raid. The Pune defense pounces once again, this time on Zafardanesh, with Mohd Amaan, the left corner, picking up his first tackle point of the night with a well-timed diving knee hold.

The whistle blows for a much-needed timeout as both teams recover from the intensity with which this game has been played. Not much to separate the teams so far.

1st Half, 8'
U Mumba 8 - 5 Puneri Paltan

Both teams choose to play on the do-or-die raid, and while Pankaj Mohite tries to play it cool and look for an opening in the U Mumba defense, he could only find the arms of the U Mumba captain Sunil Kumar, who makes no mistake with his block.

1st Half, 6'
U Mumba 7 - 5 Puneri Paltan

Abinesh Nadarajan is absolutely pumped up for this! He puts in a ferocious dash on Zafardanesh, sending the Iranian raider flying into a cameraman. Sunil Kumar hits back for U Mumba, however, with his attempted block evaded by Mohit Goyat, only for him to run into Rinku, who provides a safe second line of defense.

The Paltan only have five on the mat, and with no bonus on offer, Ajit Chauhan has no chance against Sanket Sawant's block, well supported by Gaurav Khatri's back hold.

Both defenses are trading blows here!

1st Half, 4'
U Mumba 6 - 3 Puneri Paltan

Well, Ajit Chauhan hasn't been in the best of form in recent games, and his first raid is an unsuccessful one as he's dashed out by Abinesh Nadarajan. However, U Mumba get two points from that raid as Ajit does manage to get a bonus, with the Paltan's new left corner Mohd Amaan steps into the lobby without a touch. Not often do you see that!

Amirmohammad Zafardanesh opens his account with a bonus point and U Mumba slowly extend their lead as their defense comes alive, Rinku making no mistake with a well-timed diving hold on Pankaj Mohite.

1st Half, 2'
U Mumba 2 - 2 Puneri Paltan

Woah! That's an electric start to the game from U Mumba as Sombir comes in with a crunching block to send Akash to the bench in the very first raid. Manjeet has the Pune defense scampering on the very next raid, and he unsettles Abinesh enough to create the perfect opportunity to get a running hand touch.

Pankaj Mohite steps up to open the Paltan's account of the night with a multi-point raid with a sliding toe touch on the U Mumba captain Sunil Kumar, also getting a touch on the left corner during his escape.

Terrific start to this match this!

Right then. It's the Pune captain Akash Shinde will get us started.

Toss Update: U Mumba win the toss and choose court. The Paltan will raid first.

The Puneri Paltan have made it a habit of choosing to raid first if they win the toss, so they won't mind this one bit.

Well, as we count down the seconds to the start of this Maharashtrian derby, we have had an absolute cliffhanger between the Bengaluru Bulls and the Gujarat Giants to kick off this Pune leg, with the match finishing in a 34-34 tie.

The Head-to-Head record between these two teams stands at 10-10. That's how even this tie has been. We could be in for a thriller here.

Maximize your point-scoring potential in your Dream11 teams by making the right captaincy decisions with the help of our experts' suggestions:

Here's what U Mumba Head Coach Gholamreza had to say ahead of this Maharashtra Derby:

With the lineups out, it's time to make your Dream11 teams for this high-octane clash with the help of Sportskeeda's Dream11 Prediction:

Team News

Here's how the two teams line up for this big game:

U Mumba: Sunil Kumar (C), Ajit Chauhan, Sombir, Rinku, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, Parvesh Bhainswal, and Manjeet.

Puneri Paltan: Akash Shinde (C), Pankaj Mohite, Mohit Goyat, Mohd Amaan, Gaurav Khatri, Sanket Sawant, and Abinesh Nadarajan.

U Mumba retain the same starting 7 from their last fixture, while the Paltan make one change, with Mohd Amaan taking up the left corner position to replace Mohit Khaler, who drops to the bench.

Hello and welcome to the eleventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. We have a blockbuster clash lined up to mark the first day of the Pune leg of PKL 11, and it's one that'll give the fans at the Balewadi Sports Complex a real dilemma. Two teams that enjoy plenty of home support in Maharashtra lock horns in the Maharashtra derby.

U Mumba and the Puneri Paltan will face off in Pune as they both look to consolidate their positions in the top half of the table as we near the business end of this season. Their first meeting ended in a 35-28 win for the Paltan, and U Mumba will be keen to set the record straight against the defending champions.

The Paltan ended a two-match losing run in their previous outing, edging out the Gujarat Giants in a thrilling fixture to steal a 1-point win. Meanwhile, U Mumba last featured in a 35-41 defeat to the Telugu Titans that saw them drop out of the top half for the first time in a while.

This is one of the most highly anticipated fixtures in the league, and with two well-matched sides facing off, it should be a real nail-biter. So sit back and relax as we take you through all the action that unfolds.