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In a stunning display of leadership, Sunil Kumar has emerged as the most successful captain in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) history after U Mumba's resounding 43-29 victory over Puneri Paltan at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex on Tuesday.
What made the victory even sweeter was that the side beat the home team by a margin of 14 points despite the massive support for the Puneri Paltan in the stadium. U Mumba is at the third spot with nine wins, five losses and a draw, giving them 51 points. "I am very happy to have achieved this feat in PKL. I learned all about captaincy from Anup Kumar and Ajay Thakur and hence I dedicate this feat to them and I dedicate this win to them as well," Sunil Kumar emotionally stated after the match as quoted by a PKL press release. His achievement was also lauded by the team coach Gholamreza Mazandarani, who said, "Sunil has been a captain for 6-7 years now and he knows how good he is. When his mind is cool and he is calm like today, he plays very well, and I hope he can continue doing the same for the years to come." The next match for the U Mumba will see them face the Jaipur Pink Panthers, with whom Sunil won the PKL trophy in season 9. Speaking about this challenge, he praised their opponents by saying, "Arjun (Deshwal) has been exceptional in this season, and I can confidently say he is a predator. Ankush (Rathee) is also a phenomenal defender, and players like Neeraj (Narwal) and Reza (Mirbagheri) are performing brilliantly." But despite this, the skipper concluded on a confident note, "We will continue to play with the same spirit and energy in the upcoming matches, just as we did today, and hopefully, we can keep winning." In Thursday's opening encounter, Dabang Delhi KC (4th with 48 points) will look to leverage their form from Noida against the resilient UP Yoddhas (8th with 43 points) side. The form of Dabang Delhi K.C.'s top raiders Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik is something they will hope to bank on, but the UP Yoddhas will hope to use the prowess of their own star raiders in Bhavani Rajput and Bharat Hooda to their advantage. The second match of the evening presents an intriguing tactical battle between the Jaipur Pink Panthers (7th with 46 points) and U Mumba. Sunil Kumar will go up against his former team with whom he won the trophy in season 9, but the Jaipur Pink Panthers will look to make the most of the current form of Arjun Deshwal. However, they will need a solid defensive performance if the side wants to keep the dangerous Ajit Chouhan quiet during their game. The schedule for PKL Season 11 match on Thursday, December 5: Match 1 - Dabang Delhi K.C. vs UP Yoddhas - 8 pm Match 2 - Jaipur Pink Panthers vs U Mumba - 9 pm. (ANI)
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