PKL 12: U Mumba off to perfect start to Pro Kabaddi League season after stunning comeback against Tamil Thalaivas
U Mumba take early lead in PKL 12
There was no shortage of action over the opening weekend of Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League, including U Mumba producing two stunning performances to claim an early lead in the league standings.
The Mumbai-based franchise has now shortened significantly in the latest betting odds, following what was one of the best comebacks in recent memory against the Tamil Thalaivas on Sunday afternoon at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Down by nine points and heading into the closing stages of the match, Anil Mohan and Ajit Chouhan spearheaded their team’s resurgence, helping them close the deficit to just two points before inflicting an ALL OUT on their opponents to turn the tide in their favour.
Just 24 hours earlier, U Mumbai kicked off their campaign with a resilient performance against the Gujarat Giants, with captain Sunil Kumar delivering a defensive masterclass, while Chouhan led the way in attack, scoring five raid points.
Earlier this weekend, the Thalaivas beat the Telugu Titans 38-35 in the opening match of the season, before Bengaluru Bulls defeated Puneri Paltan in a tiebreaker. The Titans then suffered their second loss, going down to UP Yoddhas 40-35 on Saturday, while the biggest upset so far came on Sunday evening when the Bengal Warriorz crushed Haryana Steelers 54-44.
PKL 12 league standings after opening weekend
As mentioned, U Mumba have taken top spot in the league standings after their back-to-back victories, while the Bengal Warriorz’ big win over the defending champions saw them move into second place, above UP Yoddhas and Puneri Paltan.
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Score Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U Mumba | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Bengal Warriorz | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 3 | UP Yoddhas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| 4 | Puneri Paltan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Tamil Thalaivas | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Dabang Delhi K.C. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Patna Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Bengaluru Bulls | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Gujarat Giants | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Telugu Titans | 2 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 0 |
| 12 | Haryana Steelers | 1 | 0 | 1 | -10 | 0 |
PKL 12 action from the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium will continue on Monday with another mouth-watering double header, with the Patna Pirates set to meet UP Yoddhas and Puneri Paltan scheduled to face the Gujarat Titans.
