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The RuPay Pro Volleyball League 2019 is all set to commence as the Kochi Blue Spikers and U Mumba Volley will face off in the opening encounter of the tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi.
The franchise league, a first of its kind for the sport of volleyball is a joint initiative between Baseline Ventures and the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) and will feature six teams in the inaugural season.
As we step into yet another stage of Indian sport, here is the preview to the high octane opening clash between Kochi Blue Spikers and U Mumba Volley.
Match preview
One of the most balanced sides in the competition, the Kochi Blue Spikers appears a happy bunch as they made some strong signings with the likes of USA Gold medallist, David Lee, Asian Games' best Indian attacker Prabhagaran, along with one of the best setters in the game, Mohan Ukkrapandian, as their captain.
The Blue Spikers have also had some game time as they took on the Indian Navy team a few days ago, where they emerged victorious, and the side will be brimming with confidence.
U Mumba Volley, on the other hand, hosts a confident bunch of players led by national team blocker Deepesh Kumar Sinha, whose services were procured for the third-highest sum of money at the auction.
On the attacking front, Croatia's Tomislav Coskovic will be the cynosure of all eyes as his attacking style of play has seen him being showered with praise from across the world in addition to which his significant experience from the Turkish National team will come in handy. The Kochi Blue Spikers certainly look a lot more comfortable in terms of depth and are favourites to emerge victorious from the opening encounter.
Predicted Starting Six
Kochi Blue Spikers: Mohan Ukkrapandian (C), David Lee, Prabhagaran S, Suresh Khoiwal, Manu Joseph, Rohit P.
U Mumba Volley: Deepesh Sinha (C), Tomislav Coskovic, Vinit Kumar, Akshay Kapta, Parshant Saroha, Pankaj Sharma.
Telecast details, when and where to watch
Start time: 7 PM IST
Live on: Sony Six, Sony Ten 3
Live streaming: Sony LIV
