Defending champions U Mumba gave thrashed Bengal Warriors 30-17 in what was virtually a no contest
to inch closer towards a last four berth in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League, here today.
U Mumba established a 17-6 lead at half-time which appeared huge because till then Bengal Warriors had just managed to score two points each in defence and attack.
The other two were courtesy U Mumba as Rakesh Kumar and Rishank Devadiga stepped out of court.
Bengal Warriors suffered as Jang Kun Lee, their main hit man who had literally tormented Jaipur Pink Panthers yesterday, was absolutely clueless today in the absence of raiders Nitin Tomar and the off-colour Mahesh Goud.
U Mumba was strong both in defence and attack and the cutting edge this time came from their attack which initially destroyed the rival defence. And when their defence came up with unbelievable tackles, especially from the left-corner Fazel Atrachali, who had a cent per cent success record of six out of six tackles, the Kolkatans fate was sealed.
This was the Kolkata outfit's sixth straight loss to U Mumba in the history of the league.
The win for U Mumba, however, doesn't alter the position of the champions. They trail second placed Bengal Warriors, who have 37 points in 11 matches, by two points.
Both the teams have a chance to make the cut. Bengal Warriors have three matches in hand and U Mumba have as many as five.
U Mumba was more ruthless in the latter half, although their rivals scored more than what they had done earlier. The second all-out was inflicted in the 26th minute for a score of 24-9 in the winners' favour.
Jang Kun Lee was kept out of court till the 23rd minute after his exit in the 11th minute and that hurt bengal Warriors further.
To add to Bengal Warriors mounting problems was the failure of Vineet Sharma who had an opportunity to make an impact. Only Umesh Mhatre showed some semblance of a fight but he didn't have the skills and stealth of Nitin Tomar, the lead raider who is nursing an injury.
(REOPENS SPD 15)
Later Bengaluru Bulls pulled off an exciting 28-27 victory over U Mumba and spoilt the hosts' plans of ending the home leg on a winning note.
Bulls pulled ahead of their rivals in the second half and were leading comfortably at one stage before the home team made a determined effort and narrowed the gap.
An all out inflicted by the Mumbai outfit on their rivals in the closing stages helped them further narrow the lead, but in the end one point separated the two teams.
Bengaluru lifted themselves to the sixth spot by this victory and have 31 points with one last game in hand.
Mumbai, on the other hand, were in the fourth spot with 37 points from 13 games and their qualifying hopes stood hanging by a slender thread.
For the winners, captain and raider Rohit Kumar excelled with 8 points, including one in tackling. The team defended well with Mohit Chillar (5 tackle points) and Surender Nada (3) playing stellar roles.
The Bulls also secured four all out points as compared to two for the losers.
Captain and key raider Anup Kumar kept U Mumba in the hunt with 7 points while Rishank Devadiga (4) and Rakesh Kumar (2) did their bid in attack.
Surjeet and Jeeva Kumar stood out in defense for the losers with 5 and 2 tackle points while Rakesh too helped in defense with two tackle points.
Mumba could win only one game out of four in their home leg, which has hurt their chances of qualifying for the last four.
