UP Yoddhas: PKL History, Achievements, Social Media and More
Uttar Pradesh has a long history with kabaddi as a sport. The state has given many good kabaddi players to India. When the Pro Kabaddi League decided to add four new teams in Season 5, Uttar Pradesh finally got its own team called UP Yoddhas. The team started playing in 2017 and has become one of the popular franchises in PKL. UP Yoddhas represents the spirit of kabaddi in Uttar Pradesh.
The journey of UP Yoddhas shows hard work and growth over the years. From their first season to now, the team has improved in many ways. They made the playoffs in their first season and have remained a strong team. So, what is the complete story of UP Yoddhas, their achievements, key players, and performance through all seasons?
Season 5 (2017): First Ever Match
UP Yoddhas played their first match in the Pro Kabaddi League in Season 5 on August 1, 2017. The team was owned by GMR Sports, which is part of the GMR Group. GMR Group also owns Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
UP Yoddhas hired J Udaya Kumar as their head coach. Udaya Kumar was a famous kabaddi coach who had won medals for India at the Asian Games. He had experience in coaching and understood kabaddi very well.
For their first match, UP Yoddhas bought Nitin Tomar as their most expensive player for Rs 93 lakh. Nitin Tomar was a famous raider and became the captain of UP Yoddhas. Other important players included Rishank Devadiga as vice-captain, Rajesh Narwal as an all-rounder, and Jeeva Kumar as a senior defender.
Rishank Devadiga was a raider who had played for U Mumba before and had won the Best Raider award in an earlier season. He joined UP Yoddhas and helped them build a strong raiding team.
In Season 5, UP Yoddhas played 23 matches. They won 8 matches, lost 10 matches, and drew 4 matches. They finished at 3rd position in their league zone with 60 points. The team made the playoffs in their first ever season, which was a great achievement. However, they lost in the first eliminator match to Puneri Paltan and did not advance further.
Despite not going far in the playoffs, UP Yoddhas showed they could compete with other teams. Nitin Tomar scored 177 raid points in that season, which was the most by any UP Yoddhas raider.
Season 6 (2018): New Captain, Better Planning
Before Season 6, UP Yoddhas made changes to their squad. They made Rishank Devadiga their captain. The team also kept Nitin Tomar and brought back defender Jeeva Kumar.
The coach J Udaya Kumar stayed with the team and focused on making them stronger in both raiding and defense. The team played 25 matches in Season 6. They won 10 matches, lost 11 matches, and drew 4 matches. With 57 points, they again finished at 3rd position in their league zone.
UP Yoddhas made the playoffs again. However, they did not win their playoff match and went out of the tournament. Still, making the playoffs for the second season in a row showed the team was getting better.
Defender Nitesh Kumar became a big star for UP Yoddhas in Season 6. He scored 47 tackle points and was the team’s best defender. This young player would become very important for the team in future seasons.
Season 7 (2019): Three Playoff Seasons
UP Yoddhas continued their good run in Season 7. They kept Nitin Tomar as their raider and Jeeva Kumar as their defender. The team was still coached by J Udaya Kumar who knew how to build good kabaddi teams.
UP Yoddhas played 22 matches in Season 7. They won 13 matches, lost 7 matches, and drew 2 matches. With 74 points, they finished at 3rd position in their league zone for the third year in a row.
This was a great achievement because making the playoffs three times in a row showed that UP Yoddhas was building a strong team. The players like Nitin Tomar, Rajesh Narwal, Rishank Devadiga, and Jeeva Kumar worked together well to win matches.
In the playoffs, UP Yoddhas lost in the first eliminator match again. However, reaching the playoffs was what mattered most. It showed that the team had found a winning formula.
Season 8 (2021-22): Strong Performance
After a break of two years because of the pandemic, Pro Kabaddi League returned with Season 8 in 2021-22. UP Yoddhas had Nitin Tomar continue as an important raider.
However, there was a change in the coaching. Jasveer Singh took over as the head coach before Season 8. Jasveer Singh was a famous kabaddi player and knew the game very well.
In Season 8, UP Yoddhas showed their best form till that time. A young raider named Surender Gill became a star. He scored 189 raid points, which was the highest for UP Yoddhas in any single season.
UP Yoddhas played 22 matches and won 10 matches, lost 9 matches, and drew 3 matches. With 68 points, they finished at 3rd position for the fourth time in a row. This showed that UP Yoddhas was now one of the best teams in the league.
The defense was also very strong. Players like Sumit Sangwan and Hitesh were very good defenders. Sumit Sangwan especially became known for his skills in blocking raiders.
Season 9 (2022): New Star Raider Joins
Before Season 9, UP Yoddhas made a big decision. Although, they bought Pardeep Narwal in PKL 8, one of the greatest kabaddi players of all time. Pardeep had won three PKL titles with Patna Pirates and has already joined UP Yoddhas.
In PKL 9, Pardeep became the captain of UP Yoddhas. He scored 220 raid points in that season, which made him one of the top scorers. With Pardeep leading the team, UP Yoddhas continued their good form.
The team played 23 matches and won 12 matches, lost 8 matches, and drew 2 matches. They finished at 3rd position again with 71 points. This was the fifth time in six seasons that UP Yoddhas made the playoffs.
Young players like Surender Gill and Sumit Sangwan also played well in Season 9. Together with Pardeep Narwal, they formed a strong team that could compete with any other team in the league.
Season 10 (2023-24): First Time Missing Playoffs
Season 10 was a very difficult time for UP Yoddhas. Even with Pardeep Narwal in their team, they could not win enough matches. The team played 22 matches and won only 4 matches, lost 17 matches, and drew 1 match.
With just 31 points, UP Yoddhas finished at 11th position and missed the playoffs for the first time in their history. This was very disappointing because the team had never missed the playoffs before.
The defense was not performing well. Even Sumit Sangwan and other defenders could not stop the opposition raiders. The raiding also did not work well. Pardeep Narwal and other raiders could not score enough points.
This season showed that even great players cannot guarantee success if the team is not working together well. UP Yoddhas had to learn from this failure and plan for the next season.
Season 11 (2024): Back to Semifinals
After the disappointing Season 10, UP Yoddhas came back with new hope in Season 11. The team made Sumit Sangwan, a defender, their captain. This showed that the team believed in their young player who had developed through the UP Yoddhas system.
Jasveer Singh continued as the head coach and worked on making the team stronger. He focused on building a good defense and getting raids from different players.
UP Yoddhas played 22 matches and won 13 matches, lost 6 matches, and drew 3 matches. They finished at 6th position with 79 points and made the playoffs.
In the playoffs, UP Yoddhas beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 46-18 in the first eliminator match. Bhavani Rajput scored 12 points in that match. This was a big victory that showed the team had come back to their best form.
Then UP Yoddhas faced Haryana Steelers in the semifinals and lost 28-25. Gagan Gowda scored 10 points in this match. This was UP Yoddhas’ first semifinal appearance in their history.
However, UP Yoddhas could not reach the final and lost in the semi-final. Still, making the semifinals after coming last in the previous season was a great comeback.
Season 12 (2025): Back to Being Strong
In Season 12, UP Yoddhas have shown good form again. The team has Sumit Sangwan continuing as captain with Ashu Singh as vice-captain. Jasveer Singh remains the head coach.
The raiding department has Bhavani Rajput, Guman Singh, and Gagan Gowda as main raiders. The defense has Sumit Sangwan, Ashu Singh, Hitesh, and Mahender Singh.
UP Yoddhas finished at 9th position in the league stage with 7 wins from 18 matches. The team didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
| Season | Year | Total Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | League Standing |
| 5 | 2017 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 60 | 3rd (Playoffs) |
| 6 | 2018 | 22 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 57 | 3rd (Playoffs) |
| 7 | 2019 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 74 | 3rd (Playoffs) |
| 8 | 2021-22 | 22 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 68 | 3rd (Playoffs) |
| 9 | 2022 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 71 | 3rd (Playoffs) |
| 10 | 2023-24 | 22 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 31 | 11th |
| 11 | 2024 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 79 | 6th (Semifinals) |
| 12 | 2025 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 9th |
Key Players in UP Yoddhas History
Nitin Tomar
Nitin Tomar was the most expensive player bought by UP Yoddhas for Rs 93 lakh. He became the captain in their first season and scored 177 raid points. Nitin played for UP Yoddhas in Season 5 and was their main raider.
Nitin Tomar was very important in helping UP Yoddhas make the playoffs in their first season. He showed that the team could buy good players and build a strong squad.
Rishank Devadiga
Rishank Devadiga joined UP Yoddhas after playing for U Mumba. He became the vice-captain and then the captain of the team. Rishank had won the Best Raider award earlier and was a skilled player.
In three seasons with UP Yoddhas from 2017 to 2019, Rishank scored many raid points and made many Super Raids. He held the record for most Super Raids by a UP Yoddhas player with 17 Super Raids.
Nitesh Kumar
Nitesh Kumar started playing for UP Yoddhas when he was young. In Season 6, he scored 47 tackle points and was the best defender for the team.
Later, he became the team’s most important defender and played for UP Yoddhas through many seasons. Nitesh Kumar was one of the first defenders to score 100 tackle points in a single season in PKL history.
Surender Gill
Surender Gill came to UP Yoddhas and became one of their best raiders. In Season 8, he scored 189 raid points, which was the highest by any UP Yoddhas raider in any single season.
Surender Gill played in multiple seasons and helped UP Yoddhas reach the playoffs many times. He was a reliable raider who could score points regularly.
Pardeep Narwal
Pardeep Narwal is one of the greatest kabaddi players of all time. He won three PKL titles with Patna Pirates and then joined UP Yoddhas for Season 9.
With Pardeep, UP Yoddhas became stronger and won many matches. Even though the team did not win the championship with Pardeep, he brought great skill and experience to the franchise.
Sumit Sangwan
Sumit Sangwan started playing for UP Yoddhas as a young defender in Season 7. He scored 47 tackle points in Season 7 and became one of the team’s best players.
Sumit continued to improve and became the team’s most trusted defender. In Season 11, UP Yoddhas made him the captain because of his experience and skills.
He has 326 tackle points with 24 High 5s across five seasons with UP Yoddhas. Sumit was named one of the best defenders of his season. He continues as the captain of UP Yoddhas in Season 12.
Bhavani Rajput
Bhavani Rajput is a young raider who has played for UP Yoddhas in recent seasons. He has shown great skills and has scored important raid points in many matches.
In Season 11, Bhavani scored 12 points in the first eliminator match against Jaipur Pink Panthers. He also scored 11 points in the semifinal match against Haryana Steelers.
Bhavani is one of the young players who represents the future of UP Yoddhas.
Other Important Players
Many other players have played important roles for UP Yoddhas:
- Rajesh Narwal: All-rounder who played in the early seasons and helped the team reach the playoffs many times
- Jeeva Kumar: Senior defender who guided the young defense in the first few seasons
- Ashu Singh: Young defender who has played for UP Yoddhas since Season 7 and is now the vice-captain
- Hitesh: Right corner defender who has been consistent for the team
- Mahender Singh: Left cover defender who provides good support in defense
- Guman Singh: Experienced raider who scores important points
- Gagan Gowda: Raider who contributes to the raiding department
- Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi: Iranian defender signed to add international experience
Coaching History
J Udaya Kumar was the first head coach of UP Yoddhas from Season 5 to Season 7. He was a famous kabaddi coach who had won medals for India at the Asian Games.
Under his coaching, UP Yoddhas made the playoffs in their first three seasons. This showed that Udaya Kumar knew how to build a strong team and teach good kabaddi.
Jasveer Singh became the head coach before Season 8. Jasveer Singh is a legendary kabaddi player who represented India and won many medals.
Under Jasveer Singh’s coaching, UP Yoddhas showed their best form in Season 8. He helped young players like Surender Gill and Sumit Sangwan develop their skills. When the team missed the playoffs in Season 10, Jasveer Singh worked hard to bring them back. In Season 11, they made the semifinals, which showed Jasveer’s coaching was working.
Owners and Management
UP Yoddhas is owned by GMR Sports, which is part of the GMR Group. GMR Group is a large Indian business group with interests in airports, infrastructure, sports, and other areas.
GMR Sports believes in long-term growth of sports in India. They invest in finding young talent and developing them through various programs.
The CEO of GMR Sports is Satyam Trivedi. He believes that kabaddi is a sport that can grow for a long time.
Home Ground and Fans
UP Yoddhas plays their home matches at Noida Indoor Stadium in Noida. The stadium can hold about 5,000 fans.
Noida is a historic city in Uttar Pradesh with a deep connection to kabaddi. The fans of Noida and Uttar Pradesh support UP Yoddhas with great energy.
When UP Yoddhas plays at home, the atmosphere becomes very loud and exciting. The fans cheer for their team and create an environment that helps the players perform better.
Social Media Presence and Fans
UP Yoddhas has grown their social media presence over the years. On Instagram, the team has around 224,000 followers. On Facebook, they have about 373,000 followers.
The team also has a presence on Twitter and YouTube where they share match highlights and player updates.
In Season 8, UP Yoddhas reached 150,000 followers on Instagram, which was a big milestone at that time. This showed that the team was becoming more popular among fans.
UP Yoddhas uses social media to share match highlights, player interviews, and updates about the team. The fans follow the team on social media to stay updated about their performances.
Consistency in Making Playoffs
One of the biggest achievements of UP Yoddhas is that they made the playoffs in 6 out of 7 seasons from Season 5 to Season 11. They missed the playoffs only in Season 10.
Only the best teams can make the playoffs so many times. This shows that UP Yoddhas built a strong system for finding and developing players.
Still Chasing the Title
UP Yoddhas has not yet won a PKL championship. This is their biggest goal. The team has made many playoff appearances but has not reached the final.
The team is working hard to win the championship one day. With players like Sumit Sangwan as captain, young raiders like Bhavani Rajput, and experienced coaching from Jasveer Singh, UP Yoddhas has the ingredients to become champions.
Looking at Performance Across All Seasons
From Season 5 to Season 12, UP Yoddhas has played 180 matches. They won 77 matches, lost 74 matches, and drew 28 matches. This gives them a win percentage of 42.8%.
This record shows that UP Yoddhas is a competitive team that wins more than they lose. The team has remained stable and consistent throughout their history.
UP Yoddhas represents the kabaddi culture of Uttar Pradesh. Since 2017, the team has grown from a new franchise to one of the respectable teams in Pro Kabaddi League.
The team has made the playoffs six times out of eight seasons. They reached the semifinals in Season 11, which shows their progress.
With a captain like Sumit Sangwan, young players like Bhavani Rajput, experienced defenders like Ashu Singh and Hitesh, and good coaching from Jasveer Singh, UP Yoddhas is ready to compete for titles.
The team has built a strong system for finding talent and developing young players. GMR Sports has supported the team well with resources and facilities.
UP Yoddhas fans are very loyal and support their team even during difficult times. The team plays with great energy and fighting spirit in every match.
While UP Yoddhas has not yet won the PKL championship, their journey shows that with hard work, good planning, and team unity, they can achieve this goal in the future.
UP Yoddhas is not just a team but a representation of Uttar Pradesh’s pride in kabaddi. The franchise continues to grow and work towards winning the championship title for their fans and the state.
