U Mumba finished 5th in the last season.
After three consecutive seasons of disappointing performances, U Mumba finally bounced back with a new and determined approach in Pro Kabaddi League Season 11. The franchise made a bold move by reshaping their leadership, appointing veteran defender Sunil Kumar as captain, one of the most experienced and consistent leaders in the league’s history.
With a balanced mix of youngsters and experienced players, U Mumba managed to make it to the playoffs after many years last season. Although their campaign ended in the eliminator against Patna Pirates, the season marked a major turnaround for the former champions.
Also Read: PKL 12: List of players released, retained by Patna Pirates ahead of auction
Entering Season 12, the team has further strengthened their coaching setup by appointing Kabaddi legend Rakesh Kumar, a former U Mumba player and captain, as the new head coach. On that note, let’s take a look at the list of players released and retained by U Mumba ahead of the PKL 12 auction.
List of retained players:
Elite Retained Players:
U Mumba have once again reposed faith in their core squad and retained the key players who played a vital role in their revival in Season 11.
- Sunil Kumar (Captain)
- Rohit Raghav – The versatile all-rounder who made a major impact coming off the bench.
- Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh – The Iranian import who added flair to the lineup.
Retained Young Players:
Existing New Young Players (NYPs):
- Ajit Chouhan
- Lokesh Ghosliya
- Sunny Sheokand
- Deepak Kundu
List of released players:
- Rinku Sharma
- Parvesh Bhainswal
- Sombir
- Manjeet Dahiya
- Vishal Chaudhary
- Saurabh Raut
- M. Dhanasekar
- Bittu
- Amin Ghorbani
- Shubham Kumar
- Stuwart Singh
- Aashish Kumar
In a surprising move, U Mumba released their long-serving defender and vice-captain Rinku Sharma, who has been with the team since Season 8. Along with him, experienced defenders Parvesh Bhainswal and Sombir have also been let go. The release of star raider Manjeet Dahiya has also raised eyebrows, as he was seen as a dependable attacking option.
Heading into the auction, U Mumba will be keen to strengthen their corner defense, which currently lacks experienced options. The team may look for an experienced raider in the auction to form a strong attacking trio alongside Ajit Chouhan and Zafardanesh in season 12.
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