Should UP Yoddhas retain Pardeep Narwal for upcoming season? PKL 10 season review

Yoddhas failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their PKL history.

UP Yoddhas was one of the teams that generated a lot of excitement at the beginning of the Pro Kabaddi League season 10 (PKL 10), having talents like Pardeep Narwal and Nitesh Kumar in their lineup. However, they kept losing, so the strength in the paper couldn’t be transferred to the mat. They became the second team to be eliminated and for the first time missed out on qualifying for the playoffs.

They failed to click as a unit and the fact they conceded the second-most number all-outs (39) this season, shows them crumbling as a unit. Coach Jasveer Singh would be disappointed to lose out on a playoff spot, having built it from scratch for the last seven years. Nevertheless, the team in blue and red would like to review their performance and start again for the next season which is a few months away.

UP Yoddhas finished 11th in the points table with just four wins from 22 games.

Top Performer

Sumit

The success of UP Yoddhas over the years was built on their strong defensive unit. One man who was instrumental in building that strong defense was Sumit in the left corner. The 25-year-old displayed immense resolve in holding one end, as he kept scoring tackle points throughout the season. In 22 games he scored 61 tackle points which included six High-5s, which is joint-fourth this season. He was left to fight a lone battle as surprisingly his counterpart on the other side of the corner failed to live up to his standards.

Manager’s Report Card

There are only a few franchises that have retained their coach for multiple seasons and UP Yoddhas are one of them having relied on the expertise of Jasveer Singh since they came into the league. He has delivered ensuring the team qualified for the playoffs in the first five seasons and they have missed out only on this occasion.

Jasveer has always backed his players and it was surprising to see him drop the likes of Nitesh Kumar, Gurdeep, and Vijay Malik when they struggled to get their form back. While one might argue that the coach was giving opportunities to the youngsters, it would have been better if they were backed to play a few more games.

Fan View

UP Yoddhas were one of the most consistent sides in the history of PKL as they have qualified for the playoffs in every season. It was disappointing to see them miss out this season. There were so much of expectations at the start of the season and it is disheartening to see them perform the way they did.

The management and the coach will have to sit and make some tough decisions. Whether to continue relying on Pardeep Narwal as their primary Raider. While he is still scoring points, strategising with the Dubki King as the primary enforcer needs a serious look. At the same time, the defense gets the backing that Pardeep Narwal has got as Yoddhas prepares for a resurgence.

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