Pro Kabaddi 2016, Season 4: U Mumba vs Bengal Warriors Preview - Match Prediction, Time, Venue, Playing Squads & Live Match Telecast info

By Pragadeesh

Modified Jul 22, 2016 13:46 IST

Can the Bengal Warriors break the jinx by defeating U Mumba in today’s match?

The penultimate day of the Mumbai leg will see, U Mumba go head to head against the Bengal Warriors at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel indoor Stadium. The three-time finalists let go of a first half lead against the Titans and the match ended in a tie. With 6 wins and 4 losses, the home team occupies the fourth position in the table and will look to trounce the struggling Bengal Warriors, in their own fortress.

Bengal’s nightmare campaign in Pro Kabaddi season 4 was over when they were defeated by the Bengaluru Bulls in the final seconds of the game. South Korean Jang Kun Lee’s heroics in the home leg wasn’t really enough to turn the team’s fortunes around. With 2 wins and 8 losses, the Warriors will look to register their first victory against U Mumba in Pro Kabaddi league.

Match prediction

With 6 wins and 4 losses, the Anup Kumar led the U Mumba side has to win two out of their final three fixtures to enter the semi-finals.

The driving force of U Mumba, Anup Kumar’s return to form in the last two matches is a big boost for the season 2 champions. Anup’s all-round show along with his senior teammate Rakesh has turned U Mumba’s campaign around. With Rishank Devadiga scoring just 38 points in 11 matches, the lack of a second and third raider in the team adds more pressure on Anup in season 4.

The experienced duo of Anup Kumar and Rakesh Kumar will be strongly tested in today’s match against the Bengal defence lead by Nilesh Shinde, on the right corner.

U Mumba’s defence is turning out to be a real target for the opposition attackers. Surjeet and Rakesh Kumar showed some form in the previous matches but the experienced Jeeva Kumar’s poor run is season 4 has been a huge setback for the former.champions. Jeeva has contributed just 18 tackles points to his name, and moreover, he lost many duels against the attackers.

Without any doubt, Jeeva will be a main target for the Bengal attack lead by the in-form Jang Kun Lee.

The Bengal Warriors played out a nail-biting match against the Bengaluru Bulls, before Rohit Kumar’s super raid turned the tide against them. After returning to full fitness, Jang Kun Lee has been breathtaking for the Warriors. With 48 raid points in season 4, including two super 10 in the home leg, the athletic South Korean faces an uphill battle against the right corner defender Rakesh Kumar.

After starting the season on the bright note, Nitin Madane’s dip in form is a real concern for the side. The duo of Nitin Madane and Monu Goyat should complement Jan Kun Lee in today’s match.

The Bengal defence that was at sixes and sevens in the first phase of Season 4 but have shown some glimpses in their home leg. Vishal Mane secured nine tackle points in the last two matches, including a super five against the Pink Panthers. The former U Mumba defender will come up against his old counterparts in today’s battle, and faces a stern test against Anup Kumar and Suresu Kumar.

The most worrying aspect for Bengal heading into today’s battle is, they haven’t defeated U Mumba in any of the past three seasons of Pro Kabaddi. Moreover, U Mumba is unbeaten in the last 10 matches at their home ground and It will be interesting to see how Bengal responds in today’s game.

Unlike other seasons, the season 4 edition of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is difficult to predict, as the matches are going to the wire. But, Unless Jang Kun Lee and the Bengal attack come up with something remarkable, it's just another walk in the park for U Mumba.

Squads

U Mumba

Defenders: Jeeva Kumar, Vikas Kale, Sunil Kumar, Manoj Dhull

All-rounder: Rakesh Kumar, Sourav V

Raider: Gurvinder Singh, Mohammed Aruduzzaman Munshi, Suresu Kumar, Surendra Singh, Mohammed Zakir Hussain, Tuhin Tarafder, Anup Kumar, Rishank Devadiga, Nitin Kumar