U Mumba achieved their third consecutive win by defeating Bengal Warriors 39-37 in the 38th match of the Pro Kabaddi League season 10, held at the SDAT Multi-purpose Indoor Stadium in Chennai on December 24, Sunday. Amirmohammad Zafardanesh from Iran was pivotal in U Mumba's victory, scoring eight points on the night.
The match began with Sombir thwarting Maninder Singh to score the first point for his team, followed by Guman Singh and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh opening U Mumba's account. Guman stood out with his raids, successfully tackling Darpan and Vaibhav Garje. During a Do-or-die raid, Maninder Singh from the Kolkata-based team managed to secure a bonus point and ousted opponent captain Surinder Singh, leveling the score in a tightly contested match.
After a time-out, Shrikant Jadhav joined in with points, leading to Rinku's elimination. However, U Mumba players, including Zafardanesh and Visvanth, consistently earned points, keeping their team competitive. U Mumba's defense, spearheaded by Mahender Singh and captain Surinder, executed three successive super tackles, enabling them to overtake the Warriors with a score of 18-15 at halftime.
The Bengal Warriors made a strong comeback early in the game, managing to get the U Mumba team all out through effective raiding and defensive strategies. Despite this, U Mumba quickly leveled the score. In this process, Maninder Singh also achieved a personal milestone.
By taking out Surinder in a raid, Maninder reached his 1300th raid point in the Pro Kabaddi League, becoming only the second player to do so after the iconic Pardeep Narwal, who currently holds 1611 raid points in the league. A standout performance came from Harsh Lad, playing his first starting game for the Warriors. He was formidable, successfully disrupting multiple U Mumba raids, and scored six points in eight attempts from the left corner, helping his team maintain their lead.
As the match progressed, U Mumba effectively utilized the super tackle to claw their way back into contention in the final five minutes. They introduced Amirmohammad Zafardanesh at a crucial juncture, and his all-round abilities immediately turned the tide in favor of U Mumba. Despite the Warriors leading for most of the second half, U Mumba nearly clinched victory with an all-out in the final moments. However, Maninder Singh and Nitin Kumar brought the game to a tight finish but fell just short of securing a win for their team.
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