U Mumba have been languishing at the bottom half of the table for the majority of the current edition of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League. That is largely because of the inconsistent performance from their captain Fazel Atrachali.
Fazel has been one of the league’s top defenders since the beginning of the tournament and that is why U Mumba also retained him ahead of Season 8. Fazel was their most successful defender last season and was also named the best defender of the tournament.
He got that award for the second time in the history of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League. But he had not found his top form until the last game against Telugu Titans (42-35) in the new season.
He has scored only 19 tackle points till now, which is way below his standards. However, Fazel seemed to have gotten his form back against the Titans as he brought his first High 5 of the season, scoring a total of six tackle points.
Fazel was quite happy with his return to form. In an interaction with the media, he said:
“In the second half of the season, I know I will play better. Hopefully, I will play better than this match and I will try for it. I should tell my fans – ‘Don’t worry, I’m back.'”
He attributed his lack of form to captaincy pressure. He stressed that because of the captaincy he focused more on tactics during the games rather than his own role as a player.
“I played in 11 matches for my team. I just made a little change. I decided if I play my natural game also with captaincy it will be better. In the first 11 matches we had a different plan. My responsibility was more. But now we need the change. We needed that I play my game.”
The Mumba fans will hope that Fazel continues his good form going ahead in the tournament and that he doesn’t let captaincy affect his game.
At the same time, Fazel would expect other defenders to support him as well. It’s a no-brainer that Fazel will have to give his best if U Mumba has to qualify for the playoffs.
