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The UP Yoddhas, one of the consistent sides in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), is yet to win their first-ever title in PKL. Having made their PKL debut in the fifth edition, the UP Yoddhas cut the playoffs on five instances in six seasons.
However, the Yoddas failed to create an impact in the crunch situations, losing in the playoffs to bow out of the playoffs. Their aggressive bidding was clearly visible, as their think tank team went out all guns blazing in the PKL 2024 Auction.
They made their debut in PKL 2017 and got eliminated from the season in the first eliminator after losing to the Puneri Paltan. Later in 2018, they lost to the Dabang Delhi KC in a crucial game to bow out. Subsequently, in 2019, they suffered a defeat to the Bengaluru Bulls in the business end to exit.
Their PKL 2023 campaign turned out to be their worst season as they settled for the 11th rank with four wins, one draw and 17 defeats in 22 games, picking up only 31 points.
They started off by grabbing the services of all-rounder Bharat for a whopping price of ₹1.30 Crore. Later, they made some more aggressive purchases to improve their attack and defense by adding Sahul Kumar at ₹30 lakh and Bhavani Rajput at ₹45 lakh.
They roped in a few more promising names in Iran defender Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi, Heidarali Ekrami, Mahender Singh, Akshay R Suryawanshi, and Vivek.
Bharat (All Rounder) - ₹1.30 Crore
Sahul Kumar (Defender) - ₹30 Lakh
Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi (Defender) - ₹25 Lakh
Heidarali Ekrami (Raider) - ₹19.10 Lakh
Mahender Singh (Defender) - ₹21.40 Lakh
Bhavani Rajput (Raider) - ₹45 Lakh
Vivek (All Rounder) - ₹9 Lakh
Akshay R Suryawanshi (Raider) - ₹12.90 Lakh
UP Yoddhas complete squad ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2024
Raiders: Heidarali Ekrami, Bhavani Rajput, Akshay R Suryawanshi, Surender Gill, Gagana Gowda HR, and Shivam Chaudhary.
Defenders: Sahul Kumar, Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi, Mahender Singh, Sumit, Ashu Singh, and Hitesh.
All-rounders: Bharat, Vivek
All-rounder Bharat is expected to play a pivotal role for wounded UP Yoddhas in the PKL 2024 season. Their aggressive bidding on some of the promising raiders and defenders will play an important role in the crunch situations to help them bail out of nailbiting situations.
