Pro Kabaddi League: U Mumba beat powerhouses UP Yoddhas 34-31

AHMEDABAD: A compact and in-form U Mumbai turned on the style in their tournament opener of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), as they swatted away the challenge of the traditional powerhouse UP Yoddhas in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Fine performances by Amirmohammad Zafardanesh (11 points), Rinku and Guman Singh ensured that U Mumba would walk away with a 34-31 win.

The U Mumba side had the better of the early exchanges in the first half, keeping the dangerous raiding unit of the Yoddhas at arm's length. Always quite efficient in attack, Pardeep had a slow start to his season and that was reflected on the scoreline.

For U Mumba, Amirmohammad Zafardanesh was leading the charge with three successful raids early on, which put pressure on the opposition, as per a PKL press release. In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the well-drilled U Mumba continued to tighten the screws on the Yoddhas and began to pull away with the lead at seven points at one point.

Rinku had put in a few big tackles, while Zafardanesh was getting significant raid points to his name. Yoddhas' Pardeep failed to get a point his way in the first half, which ended with the U Mumba five points ahead. The Yoddhas started off with a Super Tackle in the first half; however, it did not take too long for the U Mumba side to get back in their groove.

Zafardanesh, Rinku and Guman Singh were on fire and looking to take the game away. But the Yoddhas were also starting to claw their way back into the game and landed an 'All-Out' on Zafardanesh, which brought them right back into the contest.

The contest was heading for a close finish, and with ten minutes to go, the Yoddhas were four points behind. Zafardanesh had registered his first 'Super 10' of the season while Surinder Gill was on the brink for the Yoddhas.

The fans cheered on both teams, who were matching each other move for move. With 5 minutes to go, Surinder Gill failed to make a do-or-die raid count, allowing U Mumba some breathing space, who surged into a four-point lead.

Eventually, the Yoddhas were not able to mount a comeback and U Mumba came away with a comfortable win.

Matches for Sunday:

Game 1: Tamil Thalaivas vs Dabang Delhi KC - 8 pm

Game 2: Gujarat Giants vs Bengaluru Bulls - 9 pm.