Can U Mumba win their second title in PKL season 8. This is one question which the fans of U Mumba might be asking ahead of the 2021 edition to the side’s players
The title win in the 2nd season could have been their 2nd title, they had lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers in season 1 finale. U Mumba looked like a team on a mission in season 3 as well, as they reached their 3rd consecutive final in 3 seasons.
Things have not gone well for them in subsequent seasons as compared to the first three seasons. They would be looking to go the distance in season 8 of the Pro Kabaddi League. According to reports, it is stated to begin in the 2nd half of 2021.
This article tries to identify what might be U Mumba’s strategy for the upcoming player auctions before the mega event.
U Mumba Players, Team And Auction Gameplan For Pro Kabaddi League 2021
The Raiders They Might Target
U Mumba has mostly been blessed with quality raiders. Anup Kumar, also known as the bonus king, was their star raider in the first three seasons. Since then, Mumba has tried several others. Latest of them being Abhishek Singh and Arjun Deshwal. Both of them had a decent last season. They scored 169 and 109 raiding points respectively.
One of these two might be retained by Mumba. They would like to have someone who is experienced in their set up.
Who Could be the Supporting Raiders?
In the last season, Rohit Baliyan and Athul MS were their support raiders who too had decent enough season. But both these raiders would start in the playing 7 for any other team in the tournament. So, it’d be interesting to see, if Mumba takes the risk of releasing these two. They would still have the option of using FBM, but they might not be able to as one of these two or both of these players might go for big bucks in the auction.
It is even possible that U Mumba might themselves buy one of these two back at a much bigger price. The top raiders are expected to be retained by the teams, so the choices in the auction are going to be limited hence this could be one possibility.
Apart from this, the franchise might look to bid for the likes of Nilesh Salunke, K Pranpanjan, Deepak Narwal, Vijay who in the past have proved to be good back up raiders.
What About the Defence?
The defence was ably led by the charismatic Iranian Fazel Atrachali. He was the captain of the side and was the top defender of the season. He scored 79 tackle points. It’s no brainer that be would be retained. Sandeep Narwal too had a stellar season with Mumba in 2019, hence they might look to use FBM for him.
The Other Defenders U Mumba Might Target!
Harendra Kumar played at the cover position and had a below par season. Mumba therefore might be looking at other names. They might look to buy Abozar Mighani who might prosper under the leadership of Fazel. Surendra Singh was the second best defender for Mumba with 54 tackle points. Mumba might either look to buy him back in the auction at a lower price or might use FBM for him.
Players U Mumba Could Rein In For The 2021 Season
Mohit Chillar has had an indifferent couple of seasons but he’s an experienced player. He has previously played for the Mumbai franchise and hence the management might look to bid for him. They might also look to target Jeeva Kumar who could prove to be a vital addition to their team.
Overall, Mumba might be one of the better placed teams going into the auctions for the next season.
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