PKL Season 5: Tata Yodha associates with UP Yoddha

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 25 (ANI: Tata Motors on Tuesday announced the association of Tata Yodha with one of the latest franchise in the upcoming Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2017, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Yoddha. The PKL Season 5 will start on an exciting note with the new team of UP Yoddha, who are all set to take the season by storm. Sports & Youth Welfare Department Uttar Pradesh Chetan Chauhan unveiled the official team jersey on Tuesday in the presence of the UP Yoddha squad and the Tata Motors' senior management. The franchise, owned by GMR Group, squad underwent fitness and conditioning camps at D.P.S Aligarh. Speaking on the occasion, Col Vinod Bisht, Head Yoddha, UP Yoddha said, "It has been a really enjoyable experience building up towards what will be the inaugural season for us. The training camps have really helped foster strong team spirit in the squad. We could not have asked for a better build-up than what we have had." "The UP Yoddha squad already has a number of stars who have set the stage on fire in the Vivo PKL. With exciting new talents also likely to be added to the squad in the years to come, the future looks bright for the franchise. We have been really fortunate to have a strong partner like Tata Yodha with us. Together I hope we can scale new heights in spreading the message of the sport throughout the state of UP." Commenting on the announcement, R T Wasan, Head - Sales & Marketing - Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors said, "We are truly delighted to partner with U.P. Yoddha and wish the team the very best for the fifth edition of Vivo Pro-Kabaddi League." The Pro Kabaddi League 2017 begins on July 28. The UP Yoddha will play their first match on August 1 against Telugu Titans in Hyderabad. In all the 12 franchises from 11 states, UP Yoddha will be playing more than 130 matches over 13 weeks. One of the stars of the UP Yoddha squad, Nitin Tomar, is also the highest paid player of the season. No wonder then all eyes will be on Tomar in a squad brimming with promise. "It is a fresh start for all of us. But in the past few weeks we have bonded so well that it has felt like we have been together for a few years. I have not had such a focused build-up ever to a season," said Tomar. UP Yoddha Squad: Raiders: Ajvender Singh, Gulveer Singh, Mahesh Goud, Nitin Tomar, Rishank Devadiga, Sulieman Kabir, Surender Singh; Defender Right Cover: Rohit Kumar, Hadi Tajik, Nitesh Kumar; Defender Right and Left Cover: Jeeva Kumar; Defender Left Cover: Gurvinder Singh, Sanoj Kumar, Santo B.S; All-rounder: Pankaj, Rajesh Narwal, Sagar Krishna, Sunil; Head Coach: Uday, Assistant coach: Arjun Singh (ANI)