UP Yoddha all set to entertain Lucknowites for the first time in Pro kabaddi

UP Yoddha, a new team in the Pro Kabaddi League this season on Tuesday, is all set to make the fifth season of the PKL quite exciting by announcing their launch here. Tata Yodha is the official sponsor for the team. The day also witnessed the unveiling of the team’s official jersey. The franchise, owned by GMR Group, squad undergoing fitness and conditioning camps in Aligarh under the watchful guidance of head coach Uday and assistant coach Arjun Singh.

For the first time, Lucknowites would also be watching top kabaddi players in action during the six matches to be played from August 18 to 24, at the Babu Banarasi Das UP Badminton Academy here.

In fact, the PKL season begins on July 28 in Hyderabad with Telgu Titans taking on Tamil Thalaivas. The final will be held on October 28 in Chennai, and in all 113 matches will be played in the seasons by 12 teams, including four new ones. The 12 teams have been divided into two zones A and B of six teams each, where each will be playing 15 intra-zone and 7 inter-zone matches, prior to the play offs. The 13-week long season will have top three teams from each zone qualifying for the play offs. “It has been a really enjoyable experience building up towards what will be the inaugural season for us. The training camps have really helped foster strong team spirit in the squad,” said head of UP Yodha team Vinod Bisht. One of the stars of the UP Yoddha squad, Nitin Tomar, is also the highest paid player of the season. “It is a fresh start for all of us. But in the past few weeks we have bonded so well that it has felt like we have been together for a few years.”