PKL 11: Surender Gill appointed as captain of UP Yoddhas

Sumit Sangwan and Ashu Singh will be the vice-captains of UP Yoddhas for PKL 11.

Experienced raider Surender Gill is set to lead the UP Yoddhas in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 (PKL 11). Whereas, two stalwarts in defence Sumit Sangwan and Ashu Singh, will be the vice-captains of the team. Interestingly, all the three players have plied their trade for no team apart from the Yoddhas.

UP Yoddhas will start their campaign on October 21, against neighbours Dabang Delhi. They had failed to qualify for the playoffs in the last season, for the first-time ever, finishing eleventh in the table with four wins in twenty-two matches. As a result, they released big names like Pardeep Narwal, Nitesh Kumar and Gurdeep, and made some new additions, in the form of Bharat Hooda, Sahul Kumar, Mahender Singh, Bhavani Rajput and Heidarali Ekrami.

Surender Gill has become a prominent figure at the UP based franchisee, despite having to play second fiddle to Pardeep, the most prolific raider in the history of the league, for a long time. Gill made his PKL debut in season 7, scoring 71 raid points in 18 matches. His breakthrough season came in the next edition, amassing 189 raid points.

He was hampered by injuries in the 9th season but managed to score 140 raid points in 14 matches. Injuries played an even bigger role in the last edition, as Gill could play just 10 matches, in which he scored 87 raid points.

The right raider, who turns 26 this month, is mainly known for his power. Gill will now have the opportunity he was waiting for: he will not only be the captain but also the lead raider of the team, ably supported by Bharat, Ekrami and Rajput. He will be hoping that he can maintain his fitness throughout the tournament and make full use of this opportunity.

Like many other teams, the Yoddhas will have two vice-captains: left corner Sumit Sangwan and right cover Ashu Singh.

Sumit made his league debut in the seventh season. He immediately set the mat on fire, scoring 77 tackle points. He has shown tremendous consistency, scoring 254 tackle points in 89 matches, forming a much-feared duo with right corner Nitesh Kumar. Sumit is also known for his low number of errors, which has thus resulted in him having a high tackle strike rate.

Last season, the 26-year-old scored 61 tackle points, thus being one of the lone bright spots for his team in a disappointing campaign.

Ashu too made his debut in the seventh season, scoring a total of 42 tackle points. His stats improved further in the next two seasons. However, he endured a dip in form in the previous edition. In his overall PKL career, the 25-year-old has scored 160 tackle points in 87 matches.

Despite only scoring 20 tackle points in 18 matches last season, the management has not only decided to keep faith in the experienced campaigner for one more season, but also make him one of the vice-captains.

The two defenders will have a number of challenges this time. Along with the leadership duties, they also will have the task of gelling with the new faces in defence. Sumit will be pairing with a new right corner in the form of Sahul Kumar, while Ashu will have Mahender Singh in the position of left corner for company.

The UP Yoddhas will be hoping that this new-look outfit will not only secure the franchisee a playoff spot once again, but also win them their first ever title.

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