PKL 10: Who is the owner of U Mumba?
U Mumba team are one of the most dominant teams in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League. The team has more than 50 per cent win in seven out of their nine appearances. They reached finals in the first three editions of the tournament but had faced a severe form slump since then. They failed to finish in the last two right after the third edition.
U Mumba represents Mumbai City in the Pro Kabaddi League. Sardar Vallabhai Patel Indoor Stadium is their home venue. The franchise is owned by Unilazer Ventures. The Owner of the Venture is Ronnie Screwvala.
Unilazer is a private equity company. They have made investments in more than 30 Indian startups over the years.
Ronnie Screwvala is a well-known name in the business industry. He is from Parsi Family in Mumbai and is married to Zarina Mehta. She is the co-founder of UTV. Apart from Sports, Ronnie Screwvala is also a part of the board of advisors at AIESEC India, the founder of RSVP Movies, and the chairperson of upGrad.
Screwvala has also produced various films through his RSVP production house. Some of his famous films are 7 Khoon Maaf, Dev-D, Pihu and ABCD.
Supratik Sen was the CEO of the company when U Mumba was formed. After several years, he was replaced by Suhail Chandhok ahead of the PKL 10 season. Chandhok will oversee the management and development of the U Mumba franchise, as they need some motivation to make a comeback this season.
Talking about his appointment, Screwvala said, "We are delighted to welcome him to the family, joining as the chief executive. From being a professional sportsman and a respected figure in the sporting landscape to his extensive knowledge of the ecosystem of kabaddi and other sports in the country, He will be a valuable asset to the company. I am looking forward to working with him to deliver on our plans for our 10th year of the franchise and beyond."
Chandhok, after taking over as the CEO of the company, said: As a franchise that represents the City of Dreams, Mumbai, I'd love for our franchise to remain a team that players aspire to represent, and we hope our team culture always reflects that, as we create an environment where players get to express themselves & come away as more complete players and individuals.
History of U Mumba in PKL:
U Mumba finished the 1st edition league stage in the second spot and ended the tournament as the runners-up to the top-placed Jaipur Pink Panthers. The second season was the memorable one for the Mumbai-based franchise, where they ended the league stage at the top of the table and went on to lift the trophy. In the third edition, they had a great run in the league stage, where the team topped the table but went down to Patna Pirates in the final.
U Mumba failed to make it to the knock-outs in the fourth and fifth seasons. They came back stronger in the 6th season and made it to the knock-outs. However, they failed to reach the final.
The team finished fourth in the 7th season and tenth in the 8th season. The team's poor performances continued as the team finished ninth in the 9th season of the Pro Kabaddi League. The star raider Naveen Kumar is the current captain of the U Mumba Franchise.
As a result, the team is looking to revamp the whole franchise and this is one of the reasons why Suhail Chandhok has been appointed as the CEO.
It will be interesting to see what Chandhok brings to the team as we look forward to the Pro Kabaddi League season 10. That being said, one can expect a lot of changes in the team for the upcoming edition as U Mumba looks to bounce back to winning ways.
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