New Delhi : Raiders Anup Kumar and Bhupender Singh helped U Mumba easily beat Bengal Warriors 31-17 in their Pro Kabaddi League match today.
Making the most of his first outing, Pradeep Kumar contributed four points including a bonus. His efforts combined with Bhupender's stunning raids helped the winners sail comfortably at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium here.
With their ninth win in 10 outings and a tally of 45 points, the Mumbai side have more or less booked a semifinal berth.
The fact that U Mumba achieved this feat without star raider Shabeer Bapu and the upcoming Rishank Devadiga speaks volumes of the depth in their ranks. Two all-outs inflicted against the opponents, once in each half tilted the scales totally in U Mumba's favour.
Bhupender contributed five points and Anup seven to help their side stamp their authority.
Starting cautiously, the teams logged nine points in the first 10 minutes with the winners leading 6-3. As defender Mohit Chhillar got into the act of getting his holds and blocks right U Mumba gradually left the Warriors far behind to inflict the first all-out by the 19th minute. They trooped off for the break with a comfortable 20-15 lead.
The resumption of play saw Anup guide his forces astutely. He had full faith in Bhupender and the man given the do-or-die responsibility did it well. Anup himself added four to his tally while getting the second all-out which boosted his team's tally to 28-15 in the 37th minute.
With both Jang Kun Lee and Mahendra Rajput looking off-colour and the U Mumba raiders outwitting the Bengal defence, the chances for the Bengal side to book a semifinal berth looked remote.
Speaking on his team's performance today, captain Anup Kumar said, “We dominated the whole game from start to finish. We had a strong offence and defence and a strong team overall.
We hope to remain on the top because then we will meet the fourth placed team who may be easier to beat in the play-offs.”
