Having led the group table for a majority of Season 3, the Mumbai side faltered when it mattered most losing 28-31 to Patna Pirates in the final.
Anup Kumar, captain of U Mumba in the Pro Kabaddi League, wants to make things even as far as his side is concerned. Having finished runners-up twice and winning the trophy once, the 32-year-old can't wait to hit the ground running and make it two apiece when his side takes on Jaipur Pink Panthers in their opening game of the fourth season on Saturday.
Having led the group table for a majority of Season 3, the Mumbai side faltered when it mattered most losing 28-31 to Patna Pirates in the final. U Mumba know how to respond to heartbreak, having triumphed in the second season after losing in the final of the first. This is why Kumar sees no reason why it can't happen again.
"We lost one final. Won it the next year. Lost again. I hope the trend continues," jokes Kumar. "That said, U Mumba are always expected to reach at least the semifinals of the competition. Pressure is something that is always there. Sometimes, you tend to take things very easily as defending champions. Now we know that there is something that we have to win back."
What makes things interesting this time around is that teams have got a complete revamp to their composition due to a player auction being held for the first time. With fans supporting a particular player instead of the team, Kumar says that despite the big names not being there any more, the new players have given the team something new to look forward to.
"We were like family in the three seasons and that was clearly seen in the way we played. Players like Shabbir (Bapu) and Mohit (Chillar) had a huge fan following. That might have diminished with them not being with us now. Often is the case that fans support a team because of a particular player. We see that in the IPL every year that fans switch loyalties according to their favourite player. So we might see a lot of U Mumba fans now supporting Bengaluru Bulls. But let's not forget that our new players have also come from some other team, so we will get new fans," says Kumar, who along with Rishank Devadiga, is one of the two players retained by U Mumba.
Being one of kabaddi's most recognisable faces, Kumar says that the sport will now go a long way thanks to Mohit. With the former U Mumba defender being signed for Rs 53 lakh in the player auction by Bengaluru Bulls, Kumar says that there is every chance that the Rs 1 crore-mark can be smashed in the seasons to come.
"The previous record was Rs. 12.80 lakh by Rakesh Kumar in the first season. Look at the number now. One would have never thought that it would ever cross that figure. Such things do wonders as they will make more youngsters take up the sport," says Kumar.
Playing today
Puneri Paltan vs Telugu Titans (8:00 pm), U Mumba vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (9:00 pm)
Live on Star Sports 2
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 "Anup Kumar")
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