Pro Kabaddi Season 7: Team analysis of UP Yoddhas
Having debuted in the Pro Kabaddi League, the UP Yoddha have performed well in both the seasons they have taken part in. They have reached the playoffs on both the occasions and they will look to better their record next season by clinching their maiden PKL trophy.
UP Yoddha have had top-class raiders picking up points for them in the last two seasons and going by their current squad which they have picked in the auctions, the trend might well continue for the team from Uttar Pradesh in Season 7.
Performance in the Auction
Before coming into the auctions, UP Yoddha had retained a total of six players which included two players from the Elite category and the remaining four from the Young Player Category.
They had a decent purse to buy a few quality players in the auction and let us now find out how they performed in the auctions.
Based on the retention policy adopted by the UP Yoddhas, it was expected that the franchise would splurge money in the auctions on top-quality raiders.
Hence, it was not a surprise when the likes of Monu Goyat(₹0.93Cr), Shrikanth Jadhav(₹0.68Cr) and Rishank Devadiga(₹0.61Cr) were all purchased by the team.
Having made these top buys, the rest of the purchases in the auction were limited to filling out the slots in the team to bring more balance to the squad.
Squad Analysis
Having hired star-raiders in the auction, UP Yoddha will not have a dearth of raiding points in the upcoming auction.
While Amit Narwal was retained before the auctions, the likes of Monu, Rishank, and Shrikanth are surely going to bring fear in the opposition defenders with their raiding skills. With depth, variety, and skill in the raiding department, this area of the squad is looking like one of the best in the league.
Azad Singh was one of the all-rounders retained ahead of the season and he will be joined by the likes of Surender, Narender, and Gurdeep for the upcoming edition.
UP Yoddha have focussed on youth to bolster this department and if things work out well in the practice sessions, this all-rounders department could complement their strong defense very well.
Sachin Kumar will be at the heart of the defense while Akram, Nitesh, and Gulveer will look to support in Season 7.
Experience is lacking in this very important area of the game and the coaching staff at the franchise should make good use of the time until July to strengthen their young defenders.
UP Yoddha will definitely rely on their raiders to win games for them and will hope for the other departments to bring their best out on the match-days to help them clinch their maiden trophy.
UP Yoddhas Full Squad:
Raiders: Amit Narwal, Aashish Nagar, Monu Goyat, Shrikant Jadhav, Rishank Devadiga, Mohsen Maghsoudloujafari, and Ankush.
All-Rounders: Azad Singh, Surender Singh, Narender, Gurdeep, and Masud Karim.
Defenders: Sachin Kumar,Arkam Shaikh,Nitesh Kumar and Gulveer Singh