PKL 11: Sunil Kumar appointed U Mumba’s new captain; two star defenders names as vice-captains

U Mumba bought Sunil Kumar in the PKL Season 11 auction for a sum of more than Rs 1 crore.

U Mumba have handed over the captaincy mantle to Sunil Kumar for the season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 11). It was not a surprising decision as the season two champions went hard for the two-time PKL champion in the auction held last month. The right cover defender went for a whopping 1.05cr, making him the only crorepati defender of the season.

The buy of his cousin Pravesh Bhainswal ensured it was a well thought out strategy to bring back the powerful cover combination. The duo played a huge role in the success of Gujarat Giants for four seasons which includes two appearances in the finals. Sunil made a move into Jaipur Pink Panthers in season nine as a captain and helped them win their second title.

U Mumba would be hoping for a similar result as they haven’t lifted the trophy since beating Bengaluru Bulls in the second season. Sunil is the youngest captain in PKL history when he took over the reins of Gujarat in season six as a 21-year-old in 2018. It was a huge responsibility as he was asked to fill the shoes of Fazel Atrachali and the cover defender did it with ease taking them to the championship match.

At U Mumba he will be expected to repeat the task as he will be replacing Surinder Singh. The cover defender was with the franchise for five years and wore the skipper band for the last two years. His performance waned away resulting in him being released and the 2015 champions would feel happy to have secured an able replacement in Sunil both in terms with of captaincy and for leading their defense.

Rinku and Parvesh were made vice-captains of the team

The Haryana-man will be supported by two vice-captains who are from the same state as well. Sunil’s cousin Parvesh Bhainswal and Rinku Sharma will be sharing the leadership burden. While his friendship with Parvesh is well known, Rinku’s importance will increase as he took over the captaincy for a short time in season nine when Surinder was injured. Ironically Rinku was the second youngest to lead a PKL side behind Sunil when he took over the responsibility.

The 23-year-old has been in the limelight thanks to his pyrotechnics on the mat, notably the solo super tackle against Sachin Tanwar in his debut season. With three successful seasons as a player, the men in orange would be expecting the leadership of Rinku to reap rewards for the franchise. This defending trio will be vital cogs the men in orange will rely on for success in the upcoming season.

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