PKL 11 UP Yoddhas: Team Profile
The UP Yoddhas are one of the three teams who will get to play at home in the league stage.
The UP Yoddhas have been one of the most consistent teams in Pro Kabaddi League history, ever since they made their debut in season 5. While they have never reached the final of the tournament, they managed to enter the playoffs every single time, from their debut edition to the ninth season.
However, the law of averages finally seemed to have caught up with them last time around. They finished eleventh in the table, with only the Telugu Titans finishing below them. They could only muster up 31 points, with just four wins in twenty-two matches.
As a result, coach Jasveer Singh and co. made a number of tough decisions before the auctions for the eleventh season. While they have not entirely changed their core, they have let go of a number of their stars, who had donned the Yoddhas jersey for a number of years. The likes of Pardeep Narwal, Nitesh Kumar and Gurdeep have found new destinations. A number of experienced albeit young players have made their way to the squad.
With the new season upon us, let us take the opportunity to have a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of the UP Yoddhas.
Strengths
The UP Yoddhas let go of their underperforming stars, but still have the number of big names in both offense and defense. The raiding department will be spearheaded by skipper Surender Gill and Bharat Hooda. Gill is already an established player at the Yoddhas with 487 points in 65 matches despite having had to play second fiddle to Pardeep. Bharat, on the other hand, had set the mat on fire in the nineth season, scoring 279 points in season 9 for the Bengaluru Bulls, to finish second in the list of most raid points.
As the third raider, the UP-based franchisee can bring in Iranian youngster Heidarali Ekrami, who brings in variety by being a left raider. Bhavani Rajput played his role at the Jaipur Pink Panthers, as a ‘super-sub’, to perfection and could be used similarly here too.
Their two vice-captains: left corner Sumit Sangwan and right cover Ashu Singh will be leading the defence. Sumit has staggering numbers, scoring 254 tackle points in 89 matches. To add to it, he doesn’t make too many errors which has resulted in him having a high tackle strike rate.
The two new additions in defence, right corner Sahul Kumar and left cover Mahender Singh too are very experienced campaigners. Sahul played a crucial role in the Pink Panthers’ title winning season 9 campaign. He also comes in with a rich vein of form, having performed very well in the UP Kabaddi League. On the other hand, Mahender will be playing in his seventh season and has had three seasons with more than 50+ tackle points at the Bengaluru Bulls.
Weaknesses
There could be a problem of plenty, as far as the raiding department is concerned, which makes man-management very crucial. Surender Gill and Bharat Hooda both are capable of being lead raiders. The Yoddhas also have the likes of Heidarali Ekrami, Bhavani Rajput and Gagan Gowda in their ranks. Hence, it is essential to assign appropriate roles to everyone.
While the defence has big names, we will be seeing a new combination. Nitesh, Ashu, Gurdeep and Sumit have hunted as a pack for a number of seasons. Now, Sahul and Mahender will be replacing Nitesh and Gurdeep respectively. The team would be hoping that the new unit can gel together quickly.
Opportunities
This is firstly a big opportunity for the UP Yoddhas to not only make their way back into the playoffs, but also win their first ever title. They would want to believe that they have the personnel to do so!
Surender Gill will have the opportunity he was waiting for: he will be the lead raider. Having been in Pardeep’s shadows for long, this is his chance to display his full potential. Apart from this, there are a number of young raiders who are likely to get a lot of opportunities. The likes of Heidarali and Rajput had got very less game-time at their previous franchisees, which is not going to be the case here.
Mahender Singh would be looking for redemption. After a wonderful start at the Bulls, he couldn’t maintain his consistency and was released eventually. He had an underwhelming season at U Mumba in the previous edition. The left cover would be looking to return to his old days of glory.
Threats
A number of players as well as the team as a whole could be low on morale. The Yoddhas had failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever, last time.
Meanwhile, the likes of Bharat, Sahul and Mahender all had underwhelming campaigns in the previous edition. Bharat scored just 103 raid points in 18 matches. While Sahul scored 39 tackle points in 21 matches, Mahender scored 31 tackle points in 16 matches. They will also be under pressure to fill the huge boots of Pardeep, Nitesh and Gurdeep.
The UP Yoddhas will be hoping that these players can make a fresh start in the upcoming edition.
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