Best Defender of the Match – Girish Ernak (Bengal Warriors)
Best Raider of the Match – Jang Kun Lee (Bengal Warriors)
FULL TIME U Mumba 27 – 31 Bengal Warriors
40‘ U Mumba 27 – 31 Bengal Warriors - U Mumba reduce the deficit to nine points and even if they get one point from this game, it will be crucial for their campaign and qualification for the semi-final. There is a minute left and Rishank gets one more point to reduce them to one man. Nitin Madane gets the bonus and it is clear they want the win. Rishank gets the All Out with five seconds left and the game ends with a Jang Kun Lee raid that yields a point for U Mumba. They get a point back. What an upset.
38’ U Mumba 20 – 30 Bengal Warriors - Bengal Warriors seem to be piling on the points here and nothing is going right for U Mumba. Anup Kumar gets tackled by Girish Ernak and the lead is now 13 points. U Mumba are again down to three men and have neither Anup Kumar nor Rakesh Kumar on the mat. Rishank gets a two point raid and he takes out Vishal Mane and Girish Ernak. But time seems to be running out as the game is being controlled by Bengal. Another point to U Mumba and another to Rishank.
35’ U Mumba 17 – 27 Bengal Warriors - There is no way U Mumba can come back into this game and if they do that, it will be the greatest comeback in the history of Pro Kabaddi. It is baffling to see what has happened to U Mumba tonight. Anup Kumar gets two touch points straight away to reduce the deficit to nine points. Do or die raid for Jang Kun Lee and he gets the touch point. Lead again 10 points.
32’ U Mumba 15 – 26 Bengal Warriors - This is getting worse for U Mumba and they are reduced to three men again as Rakesh Kumar is sent off the court. Monu Goyat comes on again and sends one more man back. U Mumba are staring at another All Out and Monu raids with two men. He takes Vikash Kumar along with him to the half. Just one man remaining and he is taken down. ALL OUT!!!! TIMEOUT taken by U Mumba
29’ U Mumba 13 – 20 Bengal Warriors - Bengal Warriors have been superb tonight and they are not letting U Mumba get back into the game. Rakesh Kumar, however, gets two touch points quickly to reduce the lead to six points again but Monu Goyat sends Anup Kumar off the mat. This has been a stellar performance from Bengal so far.
26’ U Mumba 12 – 18 Bengal Warriors - Have Mumbai dug themselves a big hole here? They have conceded a six point lead but have Anup Kumar is here for them and he gets the bonus straight away. Anup Kumar gets another point to pull down the lead to just two points but Jang Kun Lee gets the better of Jeeva and then Rishank is tackled by Girish Ernak. U Mumba are sinking here.
23’ U Mumba 10 – 16 Bengal Warriors – The second half begins with Bengal raiding and the Super Tackle is on. However, he goes back without getting anything. Suresu Kumar kills time to play on the defence. No point here in the second half so far as neither team has taken off. Monu Goyat comes on for the do or die raid and he runs around. He gets the touch off Surjeet and U Mumba are staring at an All Out. Nitin Kumar gets bonus and Jang Kun Lee attacks with two men remaining. HE GETS IT. ALL OUT!!!!
LET’S GO!!! SECOND HALF LIVE
HALF TIME U Mumba 9 – 11 Bengal Warriors
20’ U Mumba 9 – 11 Bengal Warriors – Every time U Mumba draw things level, Bengal are taking the lead and this time Jang Kun Lee does it for the team from the East. Girish Ernak gets the ankle hold on Anup to reduce U Mumba to three men. Jang Kun Lee raids with three men on the mat but does not do anything stupid. An empty raid from Suresu Kumar is followed by the last raid of the half, which yields nothing. Bengal go into the break with the lead.
18’ U Mumba 8 – 9 Bengal Warriors – Bengal take the lead now and U Mumba are looking under pressure but there is no hurry as Anup Kumar comes on to get the bonus and draw his team level. Jang Kun Lee raids and gets Vikash Kumar. Excellent from the Korean as he extends the left foot to get the touch. Anup Kumar tumbles but smiles in his raid. Bengal are leading here with under three minutes to go.
15’ U Mumba 7 – 7 Bengal Warriors – Bengal draw level with a bonus point and then take the lead through an excellent tackle by Vishal Mane. The crowd is getting behind Rishank Devadiga here and he needs it. Goes back empty handed to bring Monu Goyat on for a raid. Nothing. U Mumba have lost a bit of steam and they look up to Rakesh Kumar, who raids but does not get anything. Do or die raid for Monu Goyat and Surjeet holds on to him to draw U Mumba level.
12’ U Mumba 6 – 5 Bengal Warriors – Jang Kun Lee now raids with U Mumba leading by two points. Bengal’s attack has been like their performance in the tournament tonight. POOR. But their defence delivers and gets a tackle on Rishank Devadiga. Nitin Madane then gets the better of Anup Kumar to draw his team level. Rakesh restores parity by taking Jang Kun Lee off. U Mumba are leading again.
9’ U Mumba 5 – 3 Bengal Warriors – Anup is marshalling his troops here and guiding them continuously. Suresu Kuma raids and it is a do or die. C Arun gets the double thigh hold to draw his team level. Monu Goyat comes on with a do or die raid and gets the touch point but Anup Kumar says there is no touch. He looks convinced. Should he have taken that review? We will find out. SUCCESSFUL. The Master then forces C Arun out of the mat. Superb. Bengal review now. UNSUCCESSFUL
6’ U Mumba 3 – 2 Bengal Warriors – Rishank Devadiga with a do or die raid and he drags Girish Erank to the half line. Rishankk will get a tremendous confidence from that. Bengal get another point through Jang Kun Lee, who delivers with a running hand touch. Five men on the mat for Bengal as Anup raids. Nothing. Nitin Madane raids with the bonus on but does not get it.
3’ U Mumba 2 – 1 Bengal Warriors – The home side kicks off the game and it is Anup Kumar, who raids and is looking quite cautious. He goes back without anything. Nitin Madane raids for Bengal and he follows suit. Rakesh comes on to raid and he gets a point straight away. Surjeet attacks the ankle of Monu Goyat and does not let go. EXCELLENT TACKLE. This is superb from the home team. Jang Kun Lee puts Bengal on the board with a bonus.
Let’s Go!!!
Bengal Warriors start with Monu Goyat, Girish Ernak Jang Kun Lee, Vishal Mane, Nitin Madane and C Arun while U Mumba side features Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Rishank Devadiga, Surjeet, Suresu Kumar, Vikash Kumar and Jeeva.
Jaipur Pink Panthers have put in a stellar performance against defending champions to issue a warning to other teams. They have become the first team to reach semi-finals of Pro Kabaddi 2016 Season 4. Not U Mumba need to be even more careful as only three spots are up for grabs. We are inching closer to the start.
Catch the live commentary of this game in Hindi here
Good evening, folks. In the second game of the day here at Mumbai, home team U Mumba will meet Bengal Warriors for their last game of the home leg. While on paper it might look like a contest between David and Goliath, but let’s not forget who won the contest between them. And given the unpredictable nature of the game where on one day Dabang Delhi thumped Patna Pirates out of the blue, you won’t ever want to take anything for granted.
Though nothing much has changed for Bengal Warriors on the points table, where they still occupy their favorite eighth position, their game on the mat surely has looked different. They came close to winning games that they eventually didn’t and hence they still remain there where they were two weeks ago. Jang-Kun Lee has given Bengal fans something to cheer about with his magical display of kabaddi in the last few matches, which also saw Vishal Mane tackling his bad form issues, quite literally. The fans would hope that their team gives something to be proud of before their dismal season fades away and what better than a win against U Mumba. Mind you, U Mumba has a 100% record against the Warriors as they have won all of the previous eight encounters between the two teams.
U Mumba on the other hand are getting better with each performance and with a third place position look good to qualify for the semis, specially with matches lined up against Bengaluru Bulls and Dabang Delhi. The team’s concerns, however, remain the same as Rishank Devadiga and Jeeva Kumar have failed to make much of an impact throughout the season. Had it not been for Rakesh Kumar’s brilliant all round performances, U Mumba would have found itself in much difficult situation at this point of the tournament. Anup Kumar is going from strength to strength in this season as well and is the key to the team’s chance if they want an encore of season 2 where they went on to win the title.
However, the experienced and battle hardened Kumar would not be taking Bengal Warriors lightly. While the matches lined up are relatively easy for them, U Mumba would realize that the contest is so tight that any slip could prove costly for the team at this stage. The team will be needing Kumar’s composure to assure them of a place in the semis at the end of their 14 league games.
Bengal Warriors have nothing to lose and will be playing to salvage some pride before the tournament ends. And that’s exactly what makes them a threat in this game. Will the Warriors manage to put a smile back on the faces of their fans? Or would the script play out on expected lines? Stay tuned to know the answers.
