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As life limped back to normal in the city, so did Season 5 of Pro Kabaddi League which saw home team U Mumba take on the in form Haryana Steelers in a Zone A contest. The 53rd match was all the more special for Pro Kabaddi League because torrential rains had resulted in the two games before it on Tuesday to be cancelled. The match was also a witness to the spirit of the city that, despite the rains, didn't turn its back on Kabaddi and filled the DOME@NSCI SVP.
The crowds were not left disappointed as, after having struggled throughout their campaign, U Mumba finally gave something to their fans to cheer about who had braved the rains and gathered at the stadium. Captain Anup Kumar led from the front and, despite some pathetic defending, managed to coast home comfortably and win their first game after four losses at their home.
#1 Kashiling Adake defangs Steelers
Although he is still not at his best, Kashiling Adake is definitely bouncing back to form. There were obvious signs of that in the last game when he was one of the better raiders on show. On Wednesday too he began in fine fashion and troubled the defence of Haryana Steelers. First up, in the initial moments of the game, he deceived a sloppy Surender Nada and came out of his attempted ankle hold to leave the Steelers without the services of the captain on the mat. After Nada’s departure, the Steelers defence wore a sorry look and allowed U Mumba to gain an upper hand in the game which culminated with an All Out being inflicted on them before the halftime whistle.
Once the Steelers were back with 7 men on the court after the All Out, Adake went in raiding again. The result this time was even better as he got two prized possessions of Steelers defence in his kitty and out on the bench– Mohit Chhillar and Surender Nada. This again laid the platform for a passage of play where U Mumba dominated and went into the half time with a 5 point raid.
#2 Kashiling Adake’s bonus problems
Kashiling Adake has the most number of bonus points in Pro Kabaddi League history and yet the number of times he has wasted U Mumba's reviews on bonus points is outright worrying for the team. It has happened again and again in this season when Anup Kumar has been goaded to go for a review for a bonus that his teammate Adake has claimed to have got. The replays, however, bring out the truth and the team ends up losing the all important review. As on Wednesday, it has happened in the first half itself on most occasions, leaving U Mumba without a review in the second half.
The close margins by which the team has lost their contests makes one only wonder how crucial those reviews could have proved had they not been wasted on Adake’s bonus claims. Even on Wednesday, In a contentious decision, U Mumba captain was removed from the court for doing a self out in the second half which he didn’t agree to. Sadly for Kumar, there was no way he could have gone upstairs for that decision to be reviewed as the review had been taken already.
#3 The enigma that is Surender
In every tie he has appeared in, U Mumba’s young Surender has done something consistently – impressed and then disappointed. The turbaned Sardar with his boyish looks has, from time to time, broken from the chain and charged like a mad bull at the retreating raiders. What has followed that is what often determines the adjective for the man.
When it comes off, it’s usually one of the most brilliant moves of the match. But when it doesn’t, his decision comes under real scrutiny. Wednesday was a day when nothing worked for Surender as he made five unsuccessful tackle attempts.
The youngster has often copped it up from his captain Anup Kumar for not following his instructions. He committed schoolboyish errors on Wednesday and that hurt U Mumba. He gifted points away with absolutely unnecessary tackle attempts. However, it’s almost impossible to do away with the defender’s services who has 27 points from 10 games and on days, is easily the best defender on show.
#4 Cucumber calm Kuldeep's superb solo effort
U Mumba’s defence has really disappointed this season and Wednesday night was not different. Yet, one man who can be excluded from that criticism is Kuldeep Singh. He might not have got the most number of points, yet his commitment is there for all to see. He was the man who provided the moment of the day when left with only raider Nitin Madane for company and staring at an All Out, he held on to the Steelers raider Vikas Khandola single handedly to effect a Super Tackle.
Up against one man, Khandola must have fancied his chances but there was no let up from Kuldeep at left corner and even without Madane’s help, he took care of the Steelers raider. U Mumba were saved from an All Out and in no time were back with 4 men on the court. Fittingly, it was the 5th tackle point for him in the game and underlined his importance in the U Mumba set up once again on a day when the team was plagued by awful defending.
#5 Oshtorak's Super tackles clinches the deal
There was frustration visible on every face that supported U Mumba as the team allowed the game to slip away in the early part of the second half due to poor defending. The errors just didn’t stop coming with Renjith and Surender being the chief culprits. With Steelers tying the score in the 29th minute, U Mumba made a desperate move and brought on Hadi Oshtorak as a substitution. And, in hindsight, that proved to be a masterstroke.
The Iranian, once a big name on the PKL stage, is no more a threat as feared as Fazel Atrachali or Abozar Mighani. But Wednesday was the night when he decided to remind PKL fans of his prime. In his two tackle attempts, he effected two super tackles and took the game away from the Steelers who failed to recover from those blows and succumbed to a defeat eventually.
