The action in Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 rolls into Match 5 with a mouth-watering clash between Tamil Thalaivas and U Mumba. Both sides opened their campaigns with confidence-boosting wins and will now aim to build momentum in what promises to be one of the early highlights of the tournament.This contest has all the ingredients of a classic — superstar raiders on one side, a battle-hardened defensive unit on the other, and a rivalry that has only grown closer in recent seasons.Tamil Thalaivas’ previewThe Thalaivas began PKL 12 with a convincing win over Telugu Titans. The raiding duo of Arjun Deshwal and Pawan Sehrawat lived up to the hype, combining for 21 raid points and making their presence felt from the very first raid. Nitesh Kumar marshalled the defence alongside Himasnhu in the absence of Sagar Rathee. Their starting seven showcased depth in both departments, and with Sagar likely to return, the Thalaivas could become even more formidable.U Mumba’s previewU Mumba’s campaign started on a thrilling note as they edged past Gujarat Giants in a hard-fought battle. Captain Sunil Kumar produced a decisive last-minute tackle to seal the win, proving once again why he is regarded as one of the finest defenders in the league. Alongside him, Parvesh Bhainswal, Lokesh Ghosliya and Rohit Raghav stood tall in defence. In the attack, young Ajit Chouhan impressed with 5 raid points, ably supported by Sandeep Kumar and Anil.Head-to-Head Record: Tamil Thalaivas vs U MumbaU Mumba holds an overall advantage. However, the momentum has balanced in recent years, with the Thalaivas winning 2 of the last 5 meetings.Key Face-offs to WatchRaiders: Arjun Deshwal, Narender Kandola, Vishal Chahal, Dhiraj Bailmare, Rohit Beniwal, Abhiraj Pawar, Yogesh Yadav Defenders: Sagar Rathee, Mohit, Nitesh Kumar, Himanshu, Aashish, Anuj Gawade, Ronak, Alireza Khalili, TarunAll-Rounders: Pawan Sehrawat, Moein Shafaghi, Suresh JadhavRaiders: Ajit Chouhan, Sandeep, Sathish Kannan, Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi, Mukesh KannanDefenders: Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Rinku, Lokesh Ghosliya, S Mukilan, Ravi, Deepak Kundu, Vijay RedhuAll-Rounders: Amirmohammad Zafardanesh, Rohit Raghav, Anil, Amarjeet Yadav, Mohammad Ghorbani.
