Holder Bengaluru, U Mumba seal PKL play-offs spot

With Dabang Delhi, Bengal Warriors and Haryana Steelers already booking a berth in the knockout stages, U Mumba became the fourth side to make it to the final six. Skipper Fazel Atrachali (4 points) led from the front as the U Mumba defence put on a great show. As a result of it, Patna’s Pardeep Narwal (8 points) could not pick points at will at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

U Mumba started the match on a positive note, with Fazel tackling Pardeep in the opening minute. Abhishek Singh (7 points), supported by MS Athul, chipped in with points in the raiding department as the Mumbai team held a lead. It got its first all-out in the 9th minute, having an eight-point cushion.

But Patna clawed its way back in the final stages of the opening period, thanks to an improved performance from Pardeep and Jang Kun Lee. At half-time, the scoreboard read 17-13 in favour of U Mumba. The Fazel-led unit began the final half with a ‘Super Tackle’ on Pardeep, but Pirates remained composed in the absence of its star raider.

PP reduced the deficit to just one point courtesy a three-point raid by Lee. The South Korean went out of bounds and took three defenders with him. Patna smelled an all-out but Rohit Balyan revived a player, helping U Mumba stay in the lead. Its defence held firm in the dying minutes to claim a seat in the play-offs.

Holder Bengaluru Bulls also put itself in the knockout phase with a comfortable 59-36 victory over Haryana. Raider Pawan Kumar Sehrawat collected a record-shattering 39 points. The previous record was held by Pardeep, who snapped up 34 points against Steelers in PKL 5.