PKL 2019 | Defence was outstanding and so was the raiding unit, says Upendra Kumar
PKL
After their win against Haryana Steelers, U Mumba coach Upendra Kumar has said that the reason for the win was an all-round team effort as both the defence and raiding unit were outstanding. U Mumba won against Haryana Steelers with the scoreline of 39-33 and continued their winning streak.
U Mumba started well as the first points in raiding and defence went to them. Though they were a few hiccups and at one point U Mumba was down to three players, they saved an all-out with a Super Tackle by the skipper Fazel Atrachali. The first half was back and forth between the two teams and hence at half time the score was tied at 15-15. Haryana Steelers, however, were successful in inflicting an all-out two minutes into the second half and so they gained a four-point lead.Â
“The All Out did not give them a substantial lead. It was pretty close despite the All Out. We decided to play our usual defence and give chances to some of our reserve raiders. We wanted to test the mettle of those that haven’t played much this season and they performed well. The defence was outstanding and so was the raiding unit. Ajinkya Kapre was phenomenal,” U Mumba assistant coach Upendra Kumar said in the post-match press conference.
After saving the all-out, they inflicted an all-out on the Steelers gaining a four-point lead and maintaining it. The Steelers failed to come back into the game and lost by six points. The top scorer for U Mumba was Ajinkya Kapre with nine raid and one tackle point and he was supported well by Dong Geon Lee who scored nine raid points as well. Kapre came across as a brilliant raider and might also have a chance to play in the playoffs.
When asked about the selection dilemma, the coach replied, “Not really. We know who our first-choice raiders are. But when someone performs this well, you cannot overlook that. We now know that we can bring him off the bench if we need to score some points. We gave him a chance and he showcased his abilities.”Â
