Pro Kabaddi League: U Mumba continue to dominate; tournament at halfway stage

The league phase of 2015 Pro Kabaddi League season reached its halfway stage with the culmination of the 4th leg in Patna on Sunday, 2 August. After the Mumbai, Kolkata and Jaipur legs, the East Indian city played host to another thrilling set of games, as Ronnie Screwvala-owned U Mumba maintained its perfect record with another win in the tournament.

The semi-final prospects of the eight teams have become clearer now. U Mumba have looked like the real deal so far, as they continue to blow away the challenges of their rivals, while Puneri Paltan, Bengal Warriors and Jaipur Pink Panthers remain in a spot of bother due to a slow start to their campaigns.

Patna Pirates climb up four places to 4th with 13 points from home leg

The biggest winners of the fourth leg were Patna Pirates, who climbed up from the bottom of the standings to fourth place in the league table. Pirates started the leg with a 22-34 defeat at the hands of Telugu Titans. They, however, immediately bounced back in the next game, thrashing Dabang Delhi by a scoreline of 39-22.

In their next game against Puneri Paltan, Patna pulled off a gritty 32-28 win, after staving off a late fightback from the Pune franchise. The home leg ended in a dramatic fashion for Patna, as a see-saw battle with Bengal Warriors saw them earning a last-minute draw, thus gaining three crucial points in the process.

In other games, Telegu Titans suffered their second loss of the season when they were beaten 35-21 by Bengaluru Bulls a day after their win over Patna. U Mumba, meanwhile, edged out Delhi by a scoreline of 27-22 to cement their position at the top of the standings. Defending champions, Jaipur Pink Panthers won the second game of the season with a 35-29 victory over Puneri Paltan. The results mean that the top 3 positions in the league remain unchanged, while Dabang Delhi fall to 5^th after Patna's surge to the semi-final spots.

The best performers

For Patna, both Sandeep Narwal and Deepak Narwal have been consistent performers in this leg. Manjit Chillar, meanwhile, continued his good run of form, as he inspired Bengaluru to a thumping win over Telugu Titans. In U Mumba's victory over Delhi, Bhupender Singh came on as a substitute to lead his team to the win.

Next stop: Hyderabad

The season now moves on to the Hyderabad leg, where Telugu Titans will play their four home games. The 5^th leg will be particularly crucial for Bengal Warriors and Jaipur Pink Panthers, both of whom play three games each, and could lose major ground on their rivals if they fail to pick up any points.