U Mumba beat Tamil Thalaivas 35-33 in a Pro Kabaddi League match here on Saturday. Thalaivas fought valiantly after a dismal first half to make it a close affair in the final minutes. But Mumbai's captain Fazel Atrachali marshalled his defence well to ensure they walked away with all five points in the race for a playoff spot.
Abhishek Singh scored 10 points for Mumbai while defenders Rinku, Fazel Atrachali and Rahul Sethpal had three points each. Thalaivas raiders Manjeet and Ajinkya Pawar had seven points each.
The first half was completely dominated by U Mumba with their raiders Abhishek Singh and Ajith Kumar finding easy points from a disjointed Tamil defence.
Abhishek's hand touches gave Mumbai an early lead, but Sagar's Super Tackle helped Thalaivas stay in the match. But Ajith Kumar, playing against his former team, donned the secondary raider's role to perfection and ensured Mumbai got their first ALL OUT in the ninth minute to open a six-point lead.
The raiders continued their good work while the defenders also stepped up for U Mumba. Rahul Sethpal was an important cog in that defence.
Their corners Fazel Atrachali and Rinku were also nearly flawless.
Thalaivas' raiders Manjeet and Ajinkya Pawar had no luck against a well-oiled Mumbai defence. Abhishek Singh's heroic three-point Super Raid paved way for another ALL OUT with four minutes remaining for the interval.
The scores were 26-11 at the interval with Mumbai clearly on top. The 15-point gap didn't dampen the spirits of the Thalaivas as they started the second half on the front foot.
A combination Super Tackle on Abhishek Singh followed by a two-point raid by Manjeet changed the direction of the match. Ajinkya Pawar then got a two-point raid (+2 for ALL OUT) to complete the clean-up act and further reduce Mumbai's lead.
In another match, Haryana Steelers continued their winning run as they beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 35-28. The match went right down to the wire as both teams were engaged in a hard-fought battle till the final whistle.
But skipper Vikash Kandola led from the front once again as he earned 10 raid points in the match to help the team's cause, and Haryana Steelers managed to pick up a thrilling win.
In the third match of the day, UP Yoddha finally tasted win after four consecutive losses, defeating Telugu Titans 39-35. The standout performances for UP Yoddha came from Surender Gill and Srikant Jadhav who scored 12 and 9 respectively in the match. The Yoddhas are now placed sixth in the standings with 47 points.
