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UP Yoddhas have one of the strongest squads in Pro Kabaddi 2023. The Yoddhas retained a majority of the players who helped them qualify for the playoffs last season. To add more firepower to the team, they roped in star all-rounder Vijay Malik, who guided Dabang Delhi KC to the title in PKL 8.
The Yoddhas will start their PKL 10 campaign against former champions U Mumba on December 2 in Ahmedabad. Big names like Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, Nitesh Kumar and Sumit Sangwan will continue representing the UP Yoddhas.
Before the Uttar Pradesh-based franchise start their PKL 10 campaign, here's a SWOT analysis of their Pro Kabaddi 2023 squad:
Strengths - UP Yoddhas have a settled core group
Positive results follow if the same set of players play together for long, especially in a sport like kabaddi. The UP Yoddhas' team owners have done a fantastic job when it comes to forming a core group of players.
Nitesh Kumar has been with the team ever since the Yoddhas debuted in PKL. Ashu Singh, Surender Gill and Sumit Sangwan debuted for the Yoddhas in season seven and have been with the team ever since. Even Pardeep Narwal will be playing his third consecutive season for the Yoddhas.
Not many PKL franchises can boast of having the same core group for more than three seasons. This can prove to be the biggest strength of the UP Yoddhas.
Weaknesses - Left cover position
The left cover position can be a headache for the UP Yoddhas in PKL 10. They have signed Harendra Kumar but he struggled to make an impact for U Mumba as a left cover last season. He could earn only 26 points in 21 matches.
The Yoddhas have another option in the form of Gurdeep, but even his tackle success rate was just 40% last season. Hence, the left cover position can be the weakness of the Yoddhas.
Opportunities - Time for Kenyan talent to shine in PKL 10
A majority of the PKL teams prefer signing Iranian or Korean talent for overseas spots in their squads. However, the Yoddhas have preferred to go with two Kenyan kabaddi players, namely Helvic Wanjala and Samuel Wafala.
Both the Kenyan players are all-rounders but have no experience of playing in the Pro Kabaddi League. It will be interesting to see if they can set PKL 10 on fire with their kabaddi skills.
Threats - Injury concerns
There are no major threats for the UP Yoddhas except injury concerns, especially to the team's main raiders. Pardeep Narwal could not perform well in PKL 8 due to injury issues, while Surender Gill missed a lot of games in PKL 9 because of injuries.
Even Vijay Malik managed to play just 11 matches for Dabang Delhi KC last season. The coaches and physios will have to work hard to ensure that this trio remains injury-free throughout the season and guides the Yoddhas to the championship.
