Pro Kabbadi: Greater Noida, 15 December 2021: UP Yoddha, a PKL franchisee owned by the GMR Group, has officially announced its captain for the forthcoming PKL season, which is expected to begin on December 22nd, 2021 in Bengaluru. Nitesh Kumar, who made his PKL debut as captain for UP Yoddha in season 7, has been retained as the Yoddhas’ captain this year as well. Nitesh has the distinction of being the first defender to collect 100 points in a single season, earning him the PKL season 6 ‘Best Defender’ award.
Nitesh, also known as the master of ankle hold,’ holds impressive PKL records. With a total of 224 points collected from 67 matches and a strike rate of 72.72 per cent, he is one of the most valuable players in PKL history and is poised to lead his team this season.
He said, “It’s an honour and privilege for me to be announced as the captain of UP Yoddha for this year, this will certainly add some more responsibilities on my shoulders, but on the other hand I’m very excited to lead my team. We always have had a strong defence line but this year we have added some lethal raiders in the form of Pardeep Narwal and James and I am hopeful of us making it to the final stage of the championship.”
Nitesh went on to say more about the upcoming season’s preparations, saying, “We are well prepared as a team both mentally as well as physically for the coming season. We have been practising for quite a long period together at our state-of-the-art UP Yoddha BK Kabaddi Academy in Meerut and I am confident that this brotherhood and comfort that we all share will show in our performance this season.”
Col. Vinod Bisht, CEO, GMR League Games said, “After a long thought process and discussion, this time also we have decided to choose Nitesh as the captain based on his previous year’s performance. He is young and talented and reads the game well, and also is well respected by one and all within the team. He thinks on his feet and quick decision-making skills along with his relationship with his team members and his performance it was an obvious choice to name him as the captain for this season as well.”
On the first day of the PKL’s eighth season, on December 22, 2021, at 9:30 p.m. (IST), UP Yoddha will face the defending Champions, Bengal Warriors, at Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Centre. All matches will be played without spectators and inside the bio-bubble, with the safety and health of everyone involved in the league in mind.
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