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Jaipur, 29 July 2015
Season 1 finalists, U Mumba seem to be replaying history repeating their successful run with their sixth straight win in Season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. Can they finish on top with an unbeaten record? That will be answered come Saturday when they play Dabang Delhi, who have had a mixed bag of success having won three of their five matches till date and lie in fourth place behind Telugu Titans and Bengaluru Bulls.
Both the teams from the south have four wins each from five outings with the Titans placed in second spot having tallied 21 points to 20 gained by the Bulls. Right now, the top three are well placed and a good second leg will assure them a place in the play-offs.
Bringing up the rear without a win are Patna Pirates, who have lost all three matches they have played, and Puneri Paltan, who broke their duck on the last day of the Jaipur leg. Placed above them are injury-hit Bengal Warriors and last season’s champions Jaipur Pink Panthers. Both have eight points in six matches respectively.
The Pirates are scheduled to play their next four matches at home in Patna before the caravan moves into the second half of Season 2 and will be hoping to improve their standing with support from the home crowd.
The Pirates start their campaign on home turf with a tough encounter against Telugu Titans followed by a meeting with Dabang Delhi, Puneri Paltan and Bengal Warriors in that order. Having gained some sort of momentum, the hosts will be aiming to win at least three of the matches to end the first half on a satisfactory note. Both, Delhi and Patna seem to be evenly matched and their encounter will be crucial for both to climb up the ladder.
U Mumba already have a foot in the play-offs
For U Mumba, it is a matter of just another win to put them in best shape for the play-offs. A couple of wins is what they will need in the latter stage to assure themselves of a spot in the last four. They have secured narrow wins over Jaipur (29-28) and Hyderabad (27-26) which will keep them on their toes and focussed on their goal.
The match between the Titans and Bulls is surely going to be the decider for the second spot now. Assuming the Bulls beat the Panthers and the Titans beat the Pirates, the Titans could finish behind U Mumba even if they lose to the Bulls by virtue of the extra point they snatched in their first match against Mumbai.
So the likely scene at the end of the first half after Patna is that U Mumba may finish on top and with the Titans and Bulls following them, the tussle for the fourth spot could be between Dabangs, Pirates and Warriors.
The title holders, Panthers are in a very worrying situation and they will have a lot of catching up to do if they don't start improving their performances and winning games soon. As for Puneri Paltan, a new avatar isn't resulting in better performances. If they want to qualify for the playoffs, they might have to hold on to the lead which they have had at half-time in 3 of their 4 matches so far and making it stick.
It’s going to be a herculean chance for the bottom three to wriggle out from the lower half. With the half way stage set to finish, these three will pray for some divine help besides going back to the drawing board to resurrect their fortunes.
