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Pro Kabaddi League 2019, Eliminator 2 Preview: U Mumba battle Haryana Steelers

While season 2 champions U Mumba look to extend their winning streak, Haryana Steelers will aim for their first semi-final spot after missing out on their debut season in 2017.

U Mumba clash with Haryan Steelers for place in semi-final (Images: Pro Kabaddi)

Bengaluru, October 14: U Mumba battler Haryana Steelers in Eliminator 2 of Pro Kabaddi League 2019 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Monday (October 14).

Pro Kabaddi Special Page | Full Schedule | Results

While season 2 champions U Mumba look to extend their winning streak, Haryana Steelers will look to avenge Thursday's loss and aim for their first semi-fianl spot after missing out on their debut season in 2017.

Both teams have an even head-to-head record in Season 7 with either side winning one of their previous two encounters. Haryana Steelers had a 30-27 victory. while U Mumba won 39-33.

Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Eliminator 2: U Mumba vs Haryana Steelers: Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy TipsPro Kabaddi League 2019: Eliminator 2: U Mumba vs Haryana Steelers: Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Tips

However, U Mumba come into this match on the back of a tie againts title favourites Dabang Delhi. So, they will have that extra edge over Haryana Steelers, whom they beat on Thursday (October 10).

U Mumba clicking at the right time

U Mumba clicking at the right time

After a slow start to their season, where they were unable to get even two wins on the trot, U Mumba found their feet towards the end of the season and come into the playoffs on the back of a run of four games without defeat. Their 26-point victory over Jaipur Pink Panthers in Match 68 remains their biggest win this season.

Well-stocked raiding unit

Though U Mumba owed some of their early inconsistency to the lack of one main strike raider, Abhishek Singh soon came to the fore and assumed that role with his first 100-raid point season. Scoring 8 Super 10s and 135 raid points at an average of 7.1, the raider has peaked at the right time for U Mumba.

Though the team does not have the same second raider contributing consistently, they have a slew of talented raiders in Arjun Deshwal, Rohit Baliyan, Athul MS and, the more recently seen Ajinkya Kapre, who can turn the game on its head in a matter of a few raids.

Fazel Atrachali leads the defence

‘Sultan' Fazel Atrachali has truly lived up to his moniker in Season 7, leading the U Mumba defence from the front. He is just 5 tackle points shy of his most successful season as a defender and it could just be a matter of one game for him to get there. Fazel is currently the most successful defender in Season 7 with has 78 tackle points at an average of 3.31.

The Iranian has found strong support in defence from Sandeep Narwal (51 tackle points) in the opposite Corner and Surinder Singh (48 tackle points) in the Covers, making U Mumba one of only two playoffs teams with 3 defenders in the top 20 tackle point scorers of the season.

Haryana Steelers fade in the end

Haryana Steelers fade in the end

Haryana Steelers went on a seven-match unbeaten streak once their talisman Vikash Kandola returned to the team and took a comfortable position in the league standings. However, they faced some uneven form after that as they were unable to stitch together a run of even two successive victories in their next seven matches. This saw them finish fifth on the table in spite of their early surge.

Vikash Kandola nears milestone

Vikash Kandola's contributions have been instrumental to the side's victories this season with the raider contributing 178 of their 460 raid points. This already makes Season 7 his most successful season yet in terms of raid points scored. He also has the highest Not-Out percentage of his career this season at 79.89%. With 6 Super Raids and 10 Super 10s to his name, Kandola will be eager to reach the 200-raid point mark in his upcoming matches.

Haryana Steelers also boast of a well-balanced raiding unit with two raiders having more than 100 raid points in the season already and Prashanth Kumar Rai not far behind on 82. The flexibility this provides coach Rakesh Kumar in attack give Haryana Steelers a huge edge.

Experienced leader guides the defence

Right Corner Sunil has shone through in a defensive unit consisting of the experience of Dharmaraj Cheralathan and the strength of Ravi Kumar and Vikas Kale. The Corner has 55 tackle points to his name and is just four short of reaching 100 tackle points in his vivo Pro Kabaddi career. He already has three High 5s this season and also got the first Super Tackle of his career.

The rest of the defence has also shown good balance as Sunil has contributed just one-quarter of the team's 220 tackle points. Ravi Kumar is their next best defender with 53 tackle points and skipper Dharmaraj Cheralathan is on 42.

Match star time and where to watch

Eliminator 2 clash between U Mumba and Haryana Steelers will start at 8.30 PM IST. The game will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD. Live stream of the match, meanwhile, will be available via HotStar.

Source: Pro Kabaddi

Story first published: Monday, October 14, 2019, 10:50 [IST]
Other articles published on Oct 14, 2019