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After five weeks of non-stop breathtaking Kabaddi action, we lie on the cusp of the Final Panga as the Bengaluru Bulls battle it out with U Mumba for the big prize today in Mumbai. Playing at home, U Mumba have been almost perfect, with the only exception being last year’s final when they lost out to the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Fast forward twelve months and U Mumba have another shot at glory, but the Bulls from Bengaluru stand in their way this time. But with just two defeats all campaign and the burning desire to go one step better this time around, U Mumba are looking unstoppable at the moment.
But the Bengaluru Bulls have already dismissed another in-form side in the shape of the Telugu Titans already this season and will look to emulate the feat against the much-fancied hosts.
So we take a look at five things which the Bengaluru Bulls must do in order to spoil the U Mumba party and claim their maiden Pro Kabaddi League crown:
1. Don’t give U Mumba a head start
The one thing the Bulls must make sure is that they don’t give U Mumba a head start. With the kind of defense at their disposal, U Mumba will just wait for their opportunities and frustrate the Bulls out of the game just as they did with the Patna Pirates in the semi-finals.
2. Start quickly and silence the crowd
U Mumba have had many processions to a victory in their home games and a lot is down to the crowd which has backed their team really well. So the Bengaluru Bulls must start well and silence the crowd at the start. It’s important they let U Mumba know they are in a real game early on and let the crowd’s anxiety build. The anxiousness of the crowd in big pressure game like this could just transfer to the players and make U Mumba panic.
3. Keep Anup Kumar out of the game for as long as possible
Apart from his obvious threat as a raider, Anup Kumar is hugely important for u Mumba to hold them together. Often the glue of the side, the captain is a master at making strategies to suit the situation and drives his team to victory. So if the Bengaluru Bulls can get him out and keep him there, just like they kept Rahul Chaudhary out the other day, U Mumba could lose their organization in defense, making the life of the Ajay Thakurs a lot easy.
4. Have Manjeet on court for almost the entire game
Manjeet Chhillar is to Bengaluru Bulls what Anup Kumar is to U Mumba. Being the captain of the team, Manjeet is the best all-rounder in the league and also a great leader. Manjeet remained in court for almost the entire forty minutes of play against the Telugu Titans and you could see the result.
5. Maintain patience
U Mumba will test Bengaluru Bulls’ nerves. The Bulls will have to wait for an error from the U Mumba player and pounce on it. Going with too much aggression could hurt the Bulls and they need to show great powers of patience against a side like U Mumba who too like to rely on their defense. They need to draw the U Mumba into their territory and make sure they don’t lose points during their own raids. Empty raids might not be the worst thing to happen for the Bengaluru Bulls tomorrow.
