Hyderabad, Nov 7 (IANS ) U Mumbai is one of the in-form teams in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) with Ajit Chavan emerging among the best performers for them so far -- which has come in for special praise from head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani.
Chavan scored 19 points in 18 raids, which helped U Mumba register their fourth win of the season, over Patna Pirates, at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, in Gachibowli, on Wednesday.
Reflecting on Chavan's brilliant performance, coach Mazandarani, said, “Whenever your team wins, you will be happy for sure, and the game against Patna Pirates was a very close one as well. Ajit is one of the best young talents in our team, and I am very happy that he is performing well. He is slowly getting better with every game, and I hope he can become a big star in the future.”
The coach further added, “We have worked hard in training and improved certain skills, and Ajit used that in the game, and then he understood, that a little change has helped him improve a lot, and the result of that can be a big difference.”
Ajit has stood out with his raiding and picked up some crucial game-changing points for the U Mumba side. So far, in 7 games in PKL Season 11, Ajit has scored 39 points and played with a sense of freedom. Speaking about the way he has prepared behind the scenes with the coach and the leadership group of the team, Ajit said, “The coach has always helped me, and helped fix the mistakes in my game. And my captain Sunil Kumar has continuously encouraged me to play with freedom saying that if I play like that, I will be able to score more points.”
For U Mumba, the Hyderabad leg of PKL Season 11 is complete, and they will be keen to build on the momentum and good form when they arrive in Noida and take on the UP Yoddhas in their next game.
Elaborating on the way the U Mumba side has made progress so far this season, coach Gholamreza Mazandarani said, “The process of progress is a long one and we, as a team, are in the middle of the journey. And I feel the young players in the team are doing well, and in the future, they will do really well. Slowly, they are also learning more about the game at the highest level and the more the players learn, the better they will get as we go along.”
The first game of the day will see the Jaipur Pink Panthers will take on the Patna Pirates, in what promises to be a titanic clash. The likes of Arjun Deshwal, Neeraj Narwal and Surjeet Singh will be keen to help the Jaipur Pink Panthers end their campaign in Hyderabad on a high.
Meanwhile, in the other corner, the Patna Pirates have the young duo of Devank and Ayan calling the shots, scoring some big points, and they too will eye a winning end to their time in Hyderabad this season.
The second contest on the day will feature the Dabang Delhi K.C. side taking on the Tamil Thalaivas. For the Dabang Delhi K.C., the game is a crucial one as they are looking to end a losing streak, while the Tamil Thalaivas have been in good form, with the talismanic Sachin leading the way.