PKL Season 11: U Mumba’s cohesive effort seals dramatic 38-37 win over Bengaluru Bulls
Noida: U Mumba managed to get over the line against the Bengaluru Bulls in an action-packed contest that ended with a scoreline of 38-37, in Match 62 in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Noida Indoor Stadium here on Monday. Ajit Chouhan recorded a Super 10, Manjeet scored nine points, while Amirmohammad Zafardanesh and Sunil Kumar got four points each to help U Mumba outdo the Bengaluru Bulls, despite Pardeep Narwal’s Super 10.
It didn’t take too long for Pardeep Narwal and Ajit Chouhan to make their mark, making it a quick start for the two teams. The defenders managed to get themselves in the game soon enough, as the two teams traded blow-for-blow in the opening exchanges of this contest.
Ajit Chouhan gave U Mumba a slender lead, eliminating two Bengaluru Bulls players in a Do-or-Die Raid, but Ajinkya Pawar struck right back with a two-point raid of his own. A Super Tackle from Amirmohammad Zafadanesh on Sushil put U Mumba in the lead once more, before Pardeep Narwal inflicted a two-point raid, resulting in an All Out that helped Bengaluru Bulls get their noses in front.
It was a high-octane first half that saw plenty of back-and-forth action. Pardeep Narwal was leading the way for the Bengaluru Bulls with eight points in the first half, while Ajit Chouhan also did the same for U Mumba.
The Season 2 champions ended the first half with a slender one-point advantage courtesy of Manjeet, who got himself to five points with some quick raids, closing the session with the scoreline at 21-20.
There was no separating the two teams as they went toe-to-toe in the second half as well. The defences of both teams were on top in the second half, making it incredibly difficult for the raiders to dictate terms. U Mumba managed to get themselves a two-point lead before that was quickly wiped off by the Bengaluru Bulls.
U Mumba once again managed to get a three-point lead courtesy of a Super Raid from Manjeet, who kept growing in confidence as the game progressed. Heading into the final quarter of the game, Pardeep Narwal completed his Super 10 to keep the Bengaluru Bulls in the game, even though they trailed by three points.
The lead for U Mumba extended to five points after Ajit Chouhan completed his Super 10, seemingly putting his side in the driver’s seat. Keeping in tune with the theme of this close contest though, Bengaluru Bulls cut the deficit down to one point as Sunny enforced a Super Tackle on Manjeet.
The thrilling action continued in the final stages of this game as the Bengaluru Bulls levelled things up with under four minutes to go. They momentarily had a narrow one-point lead as Nitin Rawal completed his High Five, before Sunil Kumar inflicted a Super Tackle on Sushil, putting U Mumba back in front with under two minutes to go.
In the end, it was a clutch Super Tackle from Parvesh Bhainswal that put U Mumba in the lead by two points with 29 seconds left on the clock. As it turned out, that was enough for the Season 2 champions to clinch a dramatic victory with the scoreline at 38-37, helping U Mumba jump back to second place in the points table.
