With Iran’s Asian Games gold medal-winning captain, Fazel Atrachali helming the team and the gold medal winning coach Gholamreza Mazandarani guiding the team’s fortunes, U Mumba, with the right blend of youth and experience is quietly confident of striking the right chords as they gear up for the Maharashtra Derby against Puneri Paltans, their opener in the 6thVIVO Pro Kabaddi League to be played in Chennai on Sunday, October 7.
U Mumba team pose with their coach GHOLAMREZA MAZANDARANI (Center) after a training session ahead of their first game against Puneri Paltan in the Pro Kabaddi season opener in Chennai on Sunday.
Having reached three finals and bagged one title in the first three editions but missing the playoffs in the 4th and 5th seasons, the first target is making the playoffs. Once there, U Mumba will bank on the home advantage, at the NSCI Dome, to re-stake their claim to the prestigious title.
With expectations high from a high-profile coach and a new looking team, U Mumba will be keen to make an explosive start to the season when they take on the Paltans and according to the coaching staff and team management, the players are primed for action.
Elaborating on the team’s preparations for the 6th season, Supratik Sen, Co- Founder and CEO U Mumba said, “The team has been training at the sports centre partnership that we have set up for all our sporting disciplines at Fravashi International Academy in Nashik for the last 3 months. The last few camps, 15 days each in July and August and then a 40-day stint in August-September have been solid, with the focus on fitness, agility and sharpening of skills sets. The players have bonded well together and the team spirit is very high,”
When asked how different the strategies under the new coach would be, Supratik Sen added, “India has led the sport and its development for so long, but other Asian countries have also been looking at opportunities all along. The 2018 Asian Games was a revelation and now as a nation we need to dig deep and prepare our players and coaches alike for the competition. That means we now need to learn, reinvent and re-imagine how we can play the game better. Therefore, an Iranian Coach with an Indian Coach could be instrumental in providing new answers and ideas. Fitness has been a key aspect for Iran and South Korea so it remains to be seen how our players adapt and use these facets in a longer league like PKL.”
Coach Gholamreza prefers to let his team’s performances do the talking and when asked about the burden of expectations on him as an Asian Games gold-winning coach and having guided his team to a win over India to get there, he said, “Whenever a new coach takes over a high-profile team, the expectations will always be high. U Mumba, being one of the stronger teams in the league also enjoys a huge fan following and this community will be expecting the team to bounce back in style. The tag of an Asian Games gold-winning coach also comes with its own expectations. However, I always believe a coach is as good as the strength of the team he guides, and I am confident that with the current lot of players and the balance we have got, U Mumba will live up to all expectations.”
With the exit of Anup Kumar and the focus on youngsters, the coach is still confident of a good start for U Mumba. “Anup Kumar has been a great asset to U Mumba but we have moved on since his exit and the team has built itself into a complete unit. With a mix of experience and the exuberance of youngsters, yes I am confident of U Mumba making a positive start. We are looking at a mix – experienced defence and young lethal offence.”
Drawn into naming the key players from his squad, the coach said, “While I am not in the habit of singling out players for special mention, there are a few names that I will be banking on to perform consistently and they are: Fazel, Sidharth, Dharmaraj, Arjun and Abhishek. But, like all seasons, when the team begins to perform new players come to the forefront… and new stars are born.”
While there are no players from Mumbai in the squad, two players from Maharashtra, defender Adinath Gavali and raider Siddharth Desai will have special roles to play in the coach’s game plan.
“We are always looking at the talent base from Mumbai to come through. The past few years has seen the rise of players from Mumbai and Maharashtra. But more needs to be done,” said Supratik Sen.
With Fazel, arguably the world’s best defender leading the team and marshalling the defence, it may well be U Mumba’s strength and opposition raiders will be wise to be wary, but U Mumba has an equally strong offence. “While we can’t only rely on either offence or defence and need to strike the right balance, I would still say that U Mumba’s strength will be their experienced defence and youthful offence. Also, the ability to strike at the right time.”