Pro Kabaddi 2023 Match 2 Highlights: U Mumba edge past UP Yoddhas to kick-off campaign with win

Right then, that brings an end to the opening night of the landmark tenth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. Gujarat Giants and U Mumba registering wins today! There will be plenty to look forward to tomorrow as there will be two more power-packed matches! Join us back for that right here at Sportskeeda! Until tomorrow then, this is me, Maanas Upadhyay, bidding you adieu! Good night! 

FULL TIME! U.P. Yoddhas 31 - 34 U Mumba

A three-point win for U Mumba and they get going in PKL Season 10 with a win first up against the mighty UP Yoddhas! Immaculate planning by U Mumba and despite some errors in the defense, they made sure that they kick-off their campaign with a win. UP Yoddhas attempted a comeback on multiple occasions but U Mumba just managed to keep taking a few points and maintaining a slender lead. It was neck-and-neck at one stage but U Mumba held their nerves better and emerge on top in this contest. 

However, the Yoddhas will take a few positives with them. Mainly that of Gurdeep in the covers and Anil Kumar as a raider. Both played their parts well today and will surely contest for a place in the starting seven. As for U Mumba, the biggest positive will be their Iranian superstar Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, who finishes with a Super 10 and has just given a glimpse of what the fans can expect from him in the season to come. 

Do-or-die raider for U Mumba and Pranay Rane runs down the clock before surrendering into the ankle hold of Nitesh Kumar. And that should be it! 

Surinder Singh stands advance and pushes back the raider. 

And that should be the final nail in the coffin! A diving double ankle hold from Surinder Singh in the left corner brings down Surender Gill and U Mumba extends their lead. 

Rinku delivers once again! He runs around with a big block and the rest of the defense pounces on him in a flash. However, Rinku is clutching his wrist and is in pain! The magic spray comes out. 

Do-or-die raid for U Mumba and the substituted-in Pranay Rane comes in for it. He picks up a bonus point in front of the right-in defender and returns. However, UP Yoddhas have reviewed the decision. Seems to be one taken from desperation more than anything. Pranay's front foot is over the bonus line and the trailing foot is in the air. Review unsuccessful! Bonus awarded to U Mumba. 

Visvanath V ends up going for an advance block but Vijay pushes him aside and goes back to the mid-line. 

Mahender puts in a thigh hold but Vijay writhes his foot free and escapes to the mid-line. 

Anil ends up going far too deep in the left corner. Rinku from the right corner runs around with a searing dash and sends back the raider. 

Zafardanesh picks up a bonus point in front of the leg corner defender. 

Do-or-die raid for Yoddhas now and Surender Gill is brought down. He runs out of time and he ends up straight into the double thigh hold of Mahender in the right-in. 

Do-or-die raid for U Mumba and Guman Singh shoulders responsibility! He puts in a dubki through the cover defenders chain but just fails to cross the mid-line. Pardeep looks on.

Do-or-die for Yoddhas now and Girish Ernak commits an error! Goes for an advance ankle hold but Anil escapes comfortably. 

Do-or-die raid for U Mumba and Zafardanesh is brought down! Pushed away the cover defender and almost made his way around. However, his ankles are clipped and he is brought down. 

TIMEOUT! The final timeout of the match and U Mumba go into the final ten minutes with a slender 4-point lead. 

Vijay is pinned down! The duo of Surinder and Mahender run across and pin Vijay down in the lobby. 

Guman Singh picks up a bonus point in front of the covers!

Surender Gill picks up a bonus point in front of the left-in defender. Another gift from the Mumba defense. 

Guman Singh extends his hand and picks up a touch on the cover defender. 

Vijay picks up a bonus point in front of the right-in defender. 

ALL OUT! U Mumba are all out! Zafardanesh picks up a bonus point but he is dashed out by the right cover defender! 

Zafardanesh picks up a bonus point and returns. Immediately after, Gill sends back Rinku. U Mumba down to one man now!

Mahender Singh in the left corner ends up stepping into the lobby. U Mumba down to two men now! 

Do-or-die raid for U Mumba now and Guman Singh perishes! Gurdeep puts in a double thigh-hold and pins the raider down. 

Do-or-die raid for the Yoddhas and Surender Gill comes in for it. Visvanath V jumps over Rinku as there is a bit of confusion and steps out of bounds. 

A reverse-sliding toe-touch from Zafardanesh on the cover defender and he has been simply sensational today. 

Girish Ernak has to depart! Runs in from the left corner for a dash but Rinku does not go for the ankle hold. The raider picks up one point and returns. 

Zafardanesh attempts a bonus and entices the left corner to go for the ankle hold. The defender ends up going for it but to no avail as the Iranian escapes comfortably. 

SUPER TACKLE! Surender Gill is sent packing! He ends up going far too deep in the left corner and Rinku comes around with a chain from the right corner to pin him down. 

A five-point lead for U Mumba after the first half and the team is playing like a well-oiled unit here. Their defense has come to the party and that has managed to keep the raiding trio of the Yoddhas down. 

Iranian sensation Zafardanesh is making ripples in his debut match in the PKL while Guman Singh is looking much fitter and quicker on the mat. The same, however, cannot be said for Pardeep Narwal, who has not picked up a single point in the first half. His movements have been pretty lethargic and that has forced Gill to take on the onus of  being the lead raider. 

The Yoddhas' defense has lacked in a few situations and has more often than not allowed the Mumba raiders to pick up a bonus point without much hassle. They need to regroup in the half-time break and come back with a better game plan to beat Mumba here.

An exciting second half awaits us! Who will seal the deal? Stick around to find out!  

Surender Gill gets in a toe-touch on Surinder Singh in the left corner and sends the opposition skipper back. 

Anil gets a point as he ventures deep and gets a hand touch on Guman Singh's face. Talk about a slap on the face! Surinder should have come around for the tackle there. 

Guman Singh picks up pace and gets a hand touch on the right cover defender. 

Girish Ernak attempts a very advance tackle but the raider comfortably escapes. 

Gill gets a point for the Yoddhas as he executed a hand touch on Surinder Singh. Following this, Zafardanesh is sent spiralling out of bounds as the right cover sends him packing. 

ALL OUT! U Mumba take the first all out of the match! They hang back and allow Surender Gill the bonus. A short-block from Surinder Singh and that brings down Gill. Mumba with a healthy lead now. 

Zafardanesh escapes from the right corner's attempted ankle hold and brings UP down to one man once again! 

Anil saves the day! Picks up a bonus as the defense hangs back and Surinder's advance tackle is to no avail as Anil escapes. 

Zafardanesh leaps over Nitesh's double thigh hold attempt and goes back. Yoddhas down to one man now! 

Pardeep Narwal is tackled as the duo of Rinku and Zafardanesh put in an ankle hold together. 

Zafardanesh takes a point now and prevents a do-or-die raid from coming on. An advance tackle attempted by Sumit was to no avail as Zafardanesh writhes his foot free and escapes. 

Visvanath sends back Harendra Kumar with a hand touch. Another comfortable point for U Mumba. Immediately after, Vijay is tackled as he ventures deep in an attempt to take a bonus point. The defenders converge and trap him. 

TIMEOUT! 10 minutes are through in the first half and it is time for a strategic timeout. 

Visvanath continues adding to the tally as he picks up a bonus point in front of Nitesh Kumar. 

Vijay sends back Zafardanesh from the right-in position with a smart toe-touch. 

The lights in the stadium go dim and an official timeout has been taken. 

Surinder Singh delivers! Surender Gill was running around and Surinder Singh puts in a surprise ankle hold from the centre position to bring down the lanky raider. 

Sumit runs around from the left corner and puts in a block on Guman Singh, who fails to make a way around it. 

Pardeep goes down! A terrific ankle hold from Rinku and Surinder Singh comes along in a flash to provide assistance. Pardeep surrenders right away. 

Zafardanesh disturbs the defense gets a hand touch on Nitesh, who was standing a bit too advance. 

Do-or-die raid for the UP Yoddhas and Surender Gill delivers! A toe-touch on Girish Ernak and Gill delivers in a pressure situation. 

Zafardanesh gets his first point of the contest as he picks up a bonus point under Sumit in the left corner. 

WHAT A TACKLE! Guman Singh attempted the running hand touch and Sumit from the left corner puts in a block which converts into a back-hold to catch Guman very close to the mid-line. 

Another bonus picked by U Mumba. In response, the Yoddhas get their tally opened! Surinder's advance tackle is to no avail as Surender Gill uses the lobby to escape. 

Vijay goes down! Girish Ernak puts in a block and Rinku comes around in a flash to pin down the raider! 

Another comfortable bonus for Guman Singh as the right corner was hanging back. 

Guman Singh picks up a bonus point under the nose of the right corner defender to open U Mumba's tally for the night. 

The players have warmed up and we are all set to commence! Line Drawn, Game On, Khellll Kabaddi! 

The first match of the night has completed, with Gujarat Giants starting off their home-leg with a 6-point win over Pawan Sehrawat's Telugu Titans. We are moments away from action of the second match! 

Teams:

U Mumba:
Starters: Surinder Singh (c), Rinku Sharma, Girish Ernak, Mahender Singh, Visvanath V, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, Guman Singh
Bench: Rohit Yadav, Shivansh Thakur, Jai Bhagwan, Pranay Rane, Heidarali Ekrami, Sombir, Mukilan Shanmugam.

UP Yoddhas:
Starters: Pardeep Narwal (c), Vijay Malik, Nitesh Kumar, Harendra Kumar, Sumit, Surender Gill, Nitin Panwar.
Bench: Gurdeep, Kiran Laxman, Mahipal, Helvic Wanjala, Samuel Wafula, Hitesh

Mahender Singh vs Pardeep Narwal, Guman Singh vs Nitesh Kumar - there'll be plenty of player battles within the overall contest to look forward to. Here's three player battles which could decide the outcome of this contest 👇

First match for both these sides and picking your Dream11 side for the match will involve a lot of pondering! Worry not, for we have you covered! Click on the link below to unveil the best fantasy picks for today! 👇

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of the tenth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, 2023. The second match on the opening day will pit season two champions U Mumba against Pardeep Narwal's UP Yoddhas at Arena by Transstadia, Ahmedabad. 

U Mumba has received quite a revamp after their disappointing campaign in the previous two seasons. They've had a change in management, with Suhail Chandhok taking over the reins as CEO. They've appointed Gholamreza Mazandarani as their coach and have strengthened their defense, with the addition of Girish Ernak and Mahender Singh in the squad. 

U Mumba's raiding has changed around a bit too, with plenty of youngsters being added to the team. The likes of Zafardanesh, Alireza Mirzaeian and Heidarali Ekrami have added some variety to the Mumba raiding unit. The management has placed their trust in Guman Singh once again to lead the attack and it will be interesting to see how Jai Bhagwan and Pranay Rane are used. 

UP Yoddhas, on the other hand, have strengthen an already-formidable looking side. They will have the services of Pro Kabaddi legend Pardeep Narwal for another season. Surender Gill, who has had two back-to-back exceptional campaigns. He will be eyeing another big season and will look to not play under the shadow of Pardeep. They have smartly added Vijay Malik to their team in the auction, making it one of the most formidable raiding trio in the tournament. 

Their defense will boast of Nitesh Kumar and Sumit once again while they have bought a couple of young defenders in the form of Harendra Kumar and Kiran Laxman Magar, who did not have poor seasons but were released by U Mumba. While Harendra might start for the Yoddhas, Kiran will be on the bench. They have ample of all-rounders at their disposal and will be looking to make maximum use of it. 

We are in for a cracker of a contest and it promises to go right down to the wire! Sit back, relax and enjoy as I, Maanas Upadhyay, take you through all that unfolds over the course of this contest!