Patna: After barely a day's rest, U Mumba will gear up to take on the Bengaluru Bulls in Patna as they close out the first half of Season 4 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. Currently the Season 3 finalists are on fourth place with 17 points from three wins.

The current squads of U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls are vastly different from both the starting lineups that faced each other in the final of Season 2 where the former clinched the title. Bengaluru's corner duo, Mohit Chhillar and Surender Nada, were groomed and rose to fame during their time at U Mumba and with Surender Nada captaining the Bulls, the encounter promises to be exciting for both sides. Bengaluru Bulls are currently in third position, just a point ahead of U Mumba with 3 wins as well.

Coach Bhaskaran believes that while they were part of U Mumba, that will not be foremost on their minds come Friday. "Now they are part of Bengaluru Bulls. They are very talented players and will try to win for their team, as will we."

Keeping the defender duo in mind while planning out strategy, former Patna Pirates raider and MVP of Season 3, Rohit Kumar Choudhary has also been putting in an impressive shift for his new team over the past few matches. Bhaskaran Sir is well aware of the new raiding threat from the Bengaluru side and warns his players to learn from their mistakes against Nilesh Salunkhe of Telugu Titans. "Rohit (Kumar Choudhary) is a very talented and tall defender. We will need to look at how we allowed Nilesh (Salunkhe) to take extra points and ensure that we don't commit those mistakes against Rohit."

With a short gap between matches, the team will need to regroup quickly if they are to make a strong charge to the playoffs. Bhaskaran sir confirms that the confidence is high because ultimately it is just a game and there are many more matches to be played. "Some of the players who were expected to perform didn't and that is part of the game. We have had a few words of encouragement with the team and come tomorrow night, all of them will be brimming with confidence and raring to go."

Using inside knowledge of their opposition to gain an advantage, U Mumba taking on Bengaluru Bulls promises to be a thrilling encounter.