The Mumbai leg will continue till 21st July and 7 matches will be played over the 4 days.
U Mumba and Jaipur Pink Panthers will go head-to-head in the tournament opener. Having lost to Jaipur in the final last season, the team from the financial capital of India will be looking to settle the score.
They faced each other thrice last season – in the first and last match of the tournament in Mumbai and once at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. U Mumba got the better of the Panthers in the first match 45-31 while the two drew 31-31 in Jaipur. Both the teams reached the final, where the away side beat the Anup Kumar-led U Mumba convincingly, 35-24. The match between these two rivals will be the most anticipated clash from the leg.
On the same day, last season’s semi-finalist Bengaluru Bulls and 7th placed Bengal Warriors will battle in the second match of the night. The next day, 5th and 6th placed teams from last season, Telugu Titans and Dabang Delhi, respectively will try to get a good start to the league.
The Maha derby is scheduled for 21st July
The semi-final from last season will be replayed in the 9 pm match when the Bulls take on the home side. U Mumba had beaten Manjeet Chhillar’s Bengaluru team by 4 points to book a spot in the final. Earlier in the tournament, the finalists hammered Bengaluru comprehensively by 11 points, but the Bulls came charging back and got their revenge in Pune, by edging out Mumba by 3 points.
The third day of the match will witness Puneri Paltan play their first match against Telugu Titans, while last season’s semi-finalists, Patna Pirates will open their campaign against the home team.
The last match of the first leg will be a high-intensity Maharashtra derby as U Mumba will face off against the team from Pune. The Paltans lost both their matches against their derby rivals last season. The first match was a 44-28 hammering, while the final match of the league stage was an extremely close affair with Mumbai edging Pune by a solitary point at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
U Mumba had a stellar home campaign last season, winning 3 and drawing 1 in the league stage, while winning the semi-finals over Bengaluru Bulls later on. Despite losing in the final against Jaipur Pink Panthers, the home crowd played their part in the first season and more of the same will be expected in the second.
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