After three consecutive seasons of disappointing exits from the league stage, U Mumba, the former champions of the Pro Kabaddi League, are eager to reclaim their lost glory in Season 11. Having secured the PKL title in Season 2, the Mumboys have been striving to lift the coveted trophy once again.
U Mumba will continue to be led by the only foreign coach, Gholamreza Mazandarani, as their head coach in Season 11. An experienced tactician, Mazandarani has a successful track record, including leading the Iranian Kabaddi team to gold at the 2018 Asian Games. He also previously coached U Mumba in Seasons 6 and 10.
Following successive poor campaigns, U Mumba was active during the Season 11 Player Auction to revamp their squad. They invested strategically in both defence and attack. Here, we take a closer look at the team’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of the upcoming season.
Strengths: Strong defence
U Mumba’s defence is poised to be one of their biggest strengths in Season 11 of PKL. Sunil Kumar, who ranks eighth in PKL history for most tackle points (336), will spearhead their defence after U Mumba invested an impressive INR 1.015 crores to secure him at the Player Auction.
The defensive lineup is further bolstered by proven talents, including Parvesh Bhainswal, Rinku, Gokulakannan M, Bittu, and Sombir, showcasing considerable depth. Bhainswal ranks 11th on the all-time tackle points chart (310), while Rinku, with 147 tackle points in his PKL career, will play a crucial role in U Mumba’s defensive strategies.
Weaknesses: Lack of attacking depth
On the other hand, U Mumba’s raiding unit is likely to face scrutiny. With the departure of Guman Singh, their main raider for the past two seasons, U Mumba will depend heavily on all-rounder Amirmohammad Zafardanesh and Manjeet to shoulder the raiding responsibilities.
In Season 10, Zafardanesh finished as U Mumba’s second-highest raid points scorer (141) in his debut campaign, and the team hopes he can build on that performance in Season 11. Manjeet, with 633 raid points, brings ample experience as the team’s new lead raider, but it remains to be seen if he can rise to the challenge.
Opportunities: Manjeet and Zafardanesh to shine
Despite appearing weak on paper, the pairing of Manjeet and Zafardanesh presents an opportunity for them to establish themselves as elite raiders in the PKL. Manjeet, despite his experience of over 600 raid points, has yet to be viewed as a primary raider, often playing a supporting role.
Zafardanesh is eager to capitalize on his promising debut and solidify his place in U Mumba’s attacking lineup. Additionally, U Mumba will be looking to Shivam to reach his full potential in Season 11 as they search for players to elevate their attack.
Threats: Inexperienced squad
A significant threat U Mumba must navigate in the upcoming season is the overall inexperience of their squad. With ten players yet to make their PKL debuts and several others having only played a few games, the challenge of establishing themselves as PKL-calibre talents looms large.
If the team’s key players fall short of expectations, head coach Mazandarani may need to lean on the rest of the squad to find effective solutions.
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