Pro Kabaddi: U Mumba make it six wins in a row; Patna Pirates edge past Jaipur Pink Panthers

Jaipur: U Mumba overcame some anxious moments to subdue a spirited challenge from Telugu Titans 27-26 in a close match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to maintain their position at the top in the Pro Kabaddi season-2. Earlier in another keenly fought encounter skipper Rakesh Kumar and Sandeep Narwal combined well to steer Patna Pirates to a thrilling 29-23 over hosts and defending Champions Jaipur Pink Panthers. [caption id=“attachment_2364542” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The U Mumba defence grab hold of Deepak Hudda (Telugu Titans) in the first day of Jaipur leg. Courtesy: Pro Kabaddi.[/caption] In the second match of the day, Mumbai was trailing but came back strongly to have the last laugh at 27-26 between calls for the third umpire. It was the brilliance of skipper Anup Kumar who top scored with 10 points, that helped Mumbai to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Dishant Devadiga too had a good match with 7 points to help his team maintain the top position in the league with 30 points from six matches. For disheartened Telugu Titans, Sukesh Hegde and Deepak Niwas Hood top scored with 7 and 6 points respectively. A Splendid display by skipper Rakesh Kumar enabled Patna Pirates edge past hosts and defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers 29-23 in a keenly fought match on the opening day of the Jaipur leg. The hosts, who were looking for turn of fortunes by taking home advantage, succumbed to their third successive defeat despite leading 11-10 at half time. Once again the Pink Panthers led by local lad Navneet Gautam made some tactical errors at crucial junctures. While their opponents relied heavily on Kumar, who not only excels in raids but was also instrumental in defense of the team. The second victory of the Patna team has propelled them to fifth position with seven points from three matches. The first half and most of the second half was a keenly fought affair but Jaipur could not hold its nerve in pressure situations and made some unforced and tactical errors to let the opponents sail past them with three points. The visitors sealed the issue with a comfortable 29-23 margin while the hosts sank to the bottom of the table with their third consecutive defeat. Kumar was the top scorer for the winners with eight points while Sandeep Narwal too helped his captain with seven points. Sunil Kumar with two and Suresh Kumar and Aman Kumar with one each also chipped in. For the hosts Jasbir Singh and Rajesh Narwal with eight and seven points respectively were the top scorers. Kuldeep Singh too showed some class with five points while Prashant Chavan and Sonu Narwal scored two and one points respectively. PTI