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VIVO Pro Kabaddi 2019 has already kickstarted with U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls securing wins on the opening day.
UP Yoddha was one out of four teams that debuted in Season 5. They have qualified for the playoffs in both seasons of the tournament since they were formed. However, they are yet to clinch the title.
In Season 6, UP Yoddha had a roller coaster ride as their captain Rishank Devadiga got injured in the middle of the tournament. However, moments of magic from Prashant Kumar Rai and Shrikant Jadhav ensured that the team remained in contention for the playoffs.
Moreover, they found Nitesh Kumar as their defensive pillar who scored a century of tackle points last seasons. They lost to Gujarat Fortune Giants (38-31) in the Qualifier 2 of playoffs.
UP Yoddha are set to face Gujarat Fortune Giants on 26th July 2019. Their home leg will commence from 5th October 2019 and culminate on 11th October 2019 in Greater Noida.
Here is a look at the probable starting seven for UP Yoddha in Season 7.
Right Corner: Nitesh Kumar
A master of ankle holds and frontal blocks, Nitesh Kumar executed his moves with precision last year. He became mature as the season progressed and focused on improving his defensive skills.
With 100 tackle points to his name in 25 matches, Nitesh Kumar broke the record of having the most tackle points by a defender in a single edition of Pro Kabaddi.
He was the leader in defence for UP Yoddha as Jeeva Kumar was absent, dealing with injury concerns.
Nitesh made his debut back in season 5 with Future Kabaddi Heroes (FKH) program. He plays from the Services' board in the national tournaments.
As the right corner specialist, Nitesh Kumar will be keen on performing his role again for the team. The new captain of UP Yoddha will lead the defence and look to lead the team to glory.
Right In: Shrikant Jadhav
Shrikant Jadhav started off as a do or die specialist in the initial stages of his Pro Kabaddi venture. He has represented Jaipur Pink Panthers (Season 2), Bengal Warriors (Season 3 and 4), and U Mumba (Season 5) in the earlier editions of PKL.
Shrikant Jadhav's breakout season was the fifth edition when he was under the guidance of Anup Kumar.
He became the team's go-to man in crucial situations and helped in building the offence of U Mumba with 86 raid points in 19 matches.
Shrikant joined UP Yoddha in season 6 where he established himself as a lead raider on his own. He went on to score 141 raid points in 25 matches at an average of 5.64 raid points.
Because of his height, Shrikant Jadhav has a decent reach to the midline and can execute running hand touches and kicks to the corner defense. He can also steal bonus points swiftly from beneath the opposition.
Shrikant Jadhav will be the man to watch out for in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Right Cover: Narender
Narender made his Pro Kabaddi debut with UP Yoddha back in Season 6. He is a veteran of the game with an experience of more than 15 years in Kabaddi. He made his first impression in the team against Patna Pirates where he tackled Pardeep Narwal and scored a high 5.
He is a defensive all-rounder who is capable of executing blocks and dashes from the right cover position. He can also tackle the raiders with his dives that restrict them to move towards the midline.
In Season 6, Narender scored 42 tackle points in 25 matches at an average of 1.48 tackle points. He provided genuine assists to the corner defence and played a significant role in taking the team to the playoffs.
The team management will expect him to improve his numbers and book a permanent spot in the starting seven of UP Yoddha.
Center: Monu Goyat
Monu Goyat has been a sensation in the Pro Kabaddi lately with his ability to innovate the basic raiding moves with perfection. He raids with a calculative mindset because of which his performances improve as each season goes by.
He has been a part of Bengal Warriors (Season 4), Patna Pirates (Season 5), and Haryana Steelers (Season 6) in the previous seasons. His best-ever season was in Season 5 when he supported Pardeep Narwal in the raiding department to take Patna Pirates to their third consecutive championship. He scored 191 raid points in 21 matches at 7.34 raid points as an average.
Monu Goyat can execute running hand touches and can escape with precision. He has a unique style of shuffling across the court where he reads the mistake made by the opposition's defence and takes advantage of it.
Overall, Monu Goyat has scored 410 raid points in 59 matches at an average of 6.94 raid points. He will be one of the players to watch out for in UP Yoddha as he will look to make a mark at his new home.
Left Cover: Amit Narwal
Amit made his debut for UP Yoddha back in Season 5. A decent all-rounder who can execute dives and provide support to the corner defence, Amit can aid the corners with his timely support.
Amit is a versatile cover defender who can play at both left and right cover. Hailing from Haryana, Amit is a former player at the Indian Army Kabaddi Team.
When the team was struggling to cope with Jeeva Kumar's injury, he assisted Nitesh Kumar and helped the defence to stay composed last season.
Amit Narwal scored six tackle points in 14 matches. The team management will expect him to perform well for the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Amit will have to step up to the game as a left cover defender as the team management will have high expectations from him as they don't have any other player to replace him in that position.
Left In: Rishank Devadiga
Starting his career as a do or die specialist, Rishank Devadiga emerged as one of the most profound lead raiders of today.
He was a part of U Mumba from Season 1 to season 4. He has raised his standard season after season as he evolved into a player who understood the defence and used raiding skills accordingly.
Rishank had the best season in Pro Kabaddi in the third season when he was the second-highest raid points scorer for U Mumba. He scored 106 points in 16 matches at an average of 6.62 raid points. After joining UP Yoddha in Season 5, Rishank scored 165 raid points in 21 games with five super 10s to his name.
A veteran in the game, Rishank loves to use running hand touches and look for bonus points. He can also escape from the defence with his flexible raiding skills.
Rishank will have to up his game to provide support to Monu Goyat and Shrikant Jadhav in the raiding department.
Left Corner: Sachin Kumar
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Sachin Kumar established himself as the rock-solid defender in the left corner and provided decent support to Nitesh Kumar.
Sachin Kumar can execute dives from the left corner position. He also provides timely assists with his waist pulls for the cover defence. He is a defensive allrounder but can also be handy to the team in the do or die raids.
Sachin played his first Pro Kabaddi match when he was with Bengaluru Bulls in Season 5. There he did not receive enough chances to prove his worth. He joined UP Yoddha for season 6 and scored 49 tackle points in 34 matches with three High 5s to his name.
Sachin Kumar will yet again form a corner partnership with Nitesh Kumar and will aid the defence with some consistent performances in the upcoming tournament.
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