PKL Season 12: U Mumba’s SWOT analysis

Led by captain Sunil Kumar, U Mumba finished Season 11 with 12 wins in 22 matches, earning a spot in the PKL Playoffs for the first time since 2019. However, their resurgence was cut short in Eliminator 2, where they fell to the Patna Pirates, bringing their season to an abrupt end

PKL Season 12: U Mumba's SWOT analysis

With a new coach and a young squad, U Mumba eye second PKL title in Season 12

U Mumba are gearing up for another title push as they head into Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League, which kicks off on August 29. The Mumbai-based franchise, which clinched the title back in Season 2, will look to reclaim past glory after a promising campaign last year that ended in disappointment.

Led by captain Sunil Kumar, U Mumba finished Season 11 with 12 wins in 22 matches, earning a spot in the PKL Playoffs for the first time since 2019. However, their resurgence was cut short in Eliminator 2, where they fell to the Patna Pirates, bringing their season to an abrupt end.

In a key off-season development, U Mumba have parted ways with head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani, despite last season’s relative success. The franchise has reinstated Anil Chaprana as the new head coach for the upcoming campaign. Chaprana previously helmed the side before being replaced by Mazandarani in 2022. He later joined Patna Pirates as assistant coach under Narender Redhu, before returning to U Mumba in Season 11 as part of the coaching staff. His presence coincided with U Mumba’s return to the Playoffs, a factor that likely influenced his reappointment as head coach.

Chaprana now faces the challenge of building on last season’s momentum and taking the team further into the tournament. The management has shown faith in the squad’s core, opting to retain several key players who played pivotal roles in their playoff qualification. Additionally, U Mumba made calculated moves at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, spending Rs 4.905 crore to sign eight new players and bolster their roster across positions. With that in mind, let’s assess the strengths and weaknesses of U Mumba ahead of the new campaign.

Strengths

Ahead of the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, U Mumba managed to retain most of their players from last season.

Captain Sunil Kumar, left raider Ajit Chouhan, right raider Satish Kannan, left corners Deepak Kundu and Lokesh Ghosliya, left covers Sunny and Mukilan Shanmugam, plus all-rounders Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh and Rohit were retained by the team management for PKL Season 12.

U Mumba’s formidable defence is likely to be one of their biggest strengths heading into the upcoming Pro Kabaddi season. Skipper Sunil Kumar will once again lead U Mumba’s defence in Season 12. Considered one of the top defenders in the league, Sunil Kumar currently features fifth on the leaderboard for most tackle points (390) in PKL history.

Apart from Sunil, U Mumba used their FBM card for INR 25.10 lacs for one season to retain left cover Parvesh Bhainswal. U Mumba re-signed Parvesh after he contributed with 38 tackle points in 23 matches and was one of their key players in their defence last season.

Rinku (right corner), Lokesh Ghosliya (left corner), Deepak Kundu (left corner), Sunny (left cover), Mukilan Shanmugam (left cover) and Ravi (right cover) are the other defensive options in their squad.

Additionally, U Mumba have bolstered their squad by securing the signature of talented all-rounder Aanil Mohan for a whopping INR 78 lacs to make him the most expensive player from Category D in PKL history. Widely regarded as one of the top young prospects in the Indian kabaddi circuit, Aanil could emerge as a game-changer for the PKL Season 2 winners in Season 12.

Weaknesses

Even though their attack looks decent on paper, the most glaring weakness for U Mumba is the departure of their former lead raider Manjeet Dahiya, who has joined two-time PKL champions Jaipur Pink Panthers at the recently concluded auction. With 730 raid points to his name, U Mumba could miss the experience of Manjeet in their squad.

Another area of concern for U Mumba is the inexperience in the left corner positions. Lokesh Ghosliya and Deepak Kundu are the two options in that position for the Mumbai-based side. While Lokesh has played 11 PKL matches, Deepak has featured in only two games so far.

Opportunities

The team showed its faith in Chaprana and promoted him from assistant coach to head coach for PKL Season 12.

Along with former head coach Mazandarani, Chaprana played a pivotal role as an assistant coach in Season 11 to help U Mumba secure PKL Playoffs qualification after three editions.

U Mumba’s rising star Chouhan took Pro Kabaddi Season 11 by storm after he emerged as one of the leading raiders on his PKL debut season. Having displayed incredible skills, speed and strength, the youngster accumulated 185 raid points in 23 matches to help U Mumba qualify for the PKL Season 11 Playoffs. With the departure of Manjeet, Ajit will have the opportunity to cement his place as U Mumba’s lead raider in Season 12.

U Mumba have several talented youngsters who will aim to hog the limelight in the forthcoming season. The likes of Aanil Mohan, Lokesh Ghosliya, Deepak Kundu, Mukilan Shanmugam, Amarjeet and Ravi will look to grab their opportunities to stake a claim for U Mumba’s starting 7.

Threats

One of the biggest threats that U Mumba will be worried about is the overall inexperience of their squad. The Chaprana-coached side has several players who are yet to make their PKL debut, and a few of them have only played a handful of games and are yet to establish themselves in the league.

With the departure of Manjeet, U Mumba could be overly reliant on their 20-year-old raider Chouhan, in PKL Season 12. While Ajit showcased his immense potential in Season 11, it will be interesting to see if he can continue his stellar form in the upcoming season.