The second edition of RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 welcomed a new team, Mumbai Meteors, to its fold . In the auction, Mumbai made some key acquisitions, including attackers Brandon Greenway and Hiroshi Centelles. Additionally, the team recruited some top Indian players, such as Karthik A, Amit Gulia, and Hardeep Singh.
The Meteors were perfectly poised for their first season, having appointed Sunny Joseph - an inaugural league champion - as their head coach and the captaincy handed to Karthik, an Indian national team player.
However, Mumbai's debut season did not meet their expectations as they only managed to secure two wins in seven games. Their campaign began with a 4-1 loss to Calicut Heroes but right after that, Mumbai turned in their best performance where they defeated Chennai Blitz 5-0 and earned a bonus point. Unfortunately, their success was short-lived, as they went on to lose their next three games against Bengaluru Torpedoes, Ahmedabad Defenders, and Kolkata Thunderbolts.
The Meteors' second win of the season came at a crucial moment when they defeated Hyderabad Black Hawks 4-1, providing them with a slim opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. To do so, they needed to win their final league game against Kochi Blue Spikers by a score of 5-0. Sadly, the Meteors were unable to achieve this and lost the game 4-1, ending their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. This was the story of Mumbai Meteors’ season, they came close to winning games, but were unable to win points at crucial stages of the game.
Top Performers:
Shameemudheen A
The 194 cm tall blocker made the most of the season as he notched up a total of 54 points for the team. Shameemudheen was amongst the Top 3 Blockers of the league having 20 block points to his name, only 2 behind the league leader Jose Antonio Sandoval of Calicut Heroes.
Karthik Madhu
Known for giving his all on the court, 28-year-old blocker and Mumbai Meteors' captain, Karthik, scored 46 points for the team. Despite the unfortunate results, Mumbai’s captain put his best foot forward for the team.
Coach’s Corner:
Coach in Focus Video
Top Performances:
Chennai Blitz 0-5 Mumbai Meteors
A clean sweep over Chennai Blitz to win their first game! An inspiring all round performance by Mumbai guaranteed them a bonus point, becoming the first team in the second season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 to win it. Anu James and Brandon Greenway were the star players for the Meteors in attack as they won 15-14, 15-6, 15-11, 15-12, 15-9. James was awarded the Player of The Match for his performance.
Hyderabad Black Hawks 1-4 Mumbai Meteors
A dominant victory to keep qualification hopes alive! Mumbai Meteors were firing on all cylinders as they won 14-15, 15-9, 15-12, 15-11, 15-8 against an in-form Hyderabad Black Hawks. A sensational offensive performance by Cuban Hiroshi Centelles kept breaking down Hyderabad's defence. With his powerful play from the service line, Karthik closed out the game and won the match for the Mumbai Meteors to keep them in the hunt for the playoffs. Hiroshi was awarded the Player of The Match.
