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U Mumba had a disappointing outing in Pro Kabaddi 2022. They started their campaign with a big win over the Bengaluru Bulls. However, the Mumbai-based franchise played inconsistently in the second half of the tournament, leading to their early exit.
The season two winners finished tenth in the points table with seven victories from 22 games, losing their last four. They could have qualified for the playoffs had they won three of them.
Nevertheless, U Mumba's campaign has now ended, and the team management will shift their focus to the ninth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League now. There were some impressive performers for U Mumba throughout season. On that note, here are three players who could be retained by the franchise for PKL 9:
#1 Abhishek Singh
Vice-captain Abhishek Singh played a huge role in U Mumba's campaign in the eighth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. Singh played 22 games, scoring 179 points. He led the raid attack well by registering seven Super 10s. The opposition defenders were helpless against the running hand touches of Singh.
U Mumba retained him ahead of the eighth season, and it should not be a surprise if they retain him for the ninth PKL season as well. He is a talented player who can single-handedly win games for the team.
#2 V Ajith Kumar
V Ajith Kumar played the secondary raider's role to perfection. He supported Abhishek Singh by earning 159 points in 20 games. Kumar missed a few matches because of injury, but overall he was quite impressive, and has almost guaranteed himself a retention for next season.
Kumar scored six Super 10s for the Mumbai-based franchise in Pro Kabaddi 2022. He had a raid success rate of 44%, and also executed five super raids for his team. His average raid points per match were 7.95.
The duo of Ajith Kumar and Abhishek Singh could shoulder the raiding responsibilities for U Mumba in the coming seasons. It will be interesting to see if the team management retains both raiders.
#3 Rinku HC
Right corner defender Rinku HC was the only U Mumba player present in the Top 10 of the season's tackle points list. Playing his debut PKL campaign, Rinku earned 60 points from 21 games, and also executed the first-ever solo tackle in the tournament's history.
Many fans expected Fazel Atrachali to emerge as the brightest star in the U Mumba defence. However, Rinku outshone his captain, and finished as the number one defender for U Mumba.
On the flip side, Atrachali could not perform with consistency. It seemed like he could not play his natural game because of captaincy pressure. Meanwhile, Rinku has proved himself worthy of a retention, so it will be interesting to see if U Mumba retain Atrachali as well for next season.
