PKL 2017 | Anup Kumar’s experience helps U Mumba thrash Dabang Delhi

08/05/2017

Anup Kumar and Shabeer Bapu were at their best as U Mumba thrashed Dabang Delhi 36-22 in their Pro Kabaddi League encounter in Nagpur today. After a relatively close first half, Mumba raised their game just when it mattered the most in the second half to secure a resounding win.

Shabeer Bapu and Anup Kumar’s experience give Mumbai a first half lead

Anup Kumar won the toss and chose the court and invited Dabang Delhi to raid first. It was a slow start to the game as both sides sized each other up. But after two empty raids each, R Sriram opened the scoring for Dabang Delhi with a successful raid. However, U Mumba came back strong to level the score at 2 all, before Anup Kumar opened a two point lead at 4-2. From here on Mumbai kept the pressure on Delhi as Shabeer Bapu inflicted the first all-out of the game on Delhi to open up an 8 point lead at 10-2. Mumbai then managed their time wisely as they didn’t take any unwanted risks, on the other hand, Delhi seemingly lost their bite in attack. And with five minutes to go in the first half, Mumbai enjoyed a 9-point lead at 13-4. And Delhi were dealt another blow as Anand Patil had a face to face collision with Surender Singh which forced the Delhi man to go off the mat. At the end of the first half, Delhi had a 6 point deficit to try and erase as the scoreboard read 14-8 in Mumbai’s favour.

Mumbai secure a comprehensive win

After the break, Mumbai started from where they had left- off as they inflicted another super tackle of the game on Meraj Sheykh to extend their lead to 16-9. While Mumbai’s incredible offence had helped them gain a healthy lead going into the break, their resolute defence helped them consolidate their position in the game in the second half. But Delhi were not willing to give up without a fight as R. Sriram secured two raid points at one go to reduce the deficit to 15-21 as Nilesh Shinde completed his high five. But just when it seemed that Delhi were about to mount a comeback, Anup Kumar saved his team from an all-out with got two raid points. And Shabeer Bapu continued his impressive form with another super raid which helped Mumbai maintain the 11 point difference. Soon, Mumbai inflicted another all-out on Delhi as the scorecard read 32-16 in their favour. Finally, though Delhi tried to come back, it was too late as Mumbai smartly managed the remainder of the time to maintain their lead as they secured with a comprehensive 36-22 win.