U.P. Yoddhas – the GMR group-owned franchisee representing the state of Uttar Pradesh - are all set to open their Pro Kabaddi 2023-24 campaign against U Mumba. U.P. Yoddhas, who just a few days back announced iconic raider Pardeep Narwal as their captain, are upbeat about their opening encounter as the Pro Kabaddi League returns to the home and away format for the first time post-COVID-19. U.P. Yoddhas finished their season nine campaign in fourth place with 71 points from 22 games after crashing out in the eliminator stage.

This season will also see the Yoddhas play their home leg after a gap of two years at the Noida Indoor Stadium, Noida, from December 29, 2023 - January 03, 2024.

The opening night of PKL Season 10 will be a doubleheader, which will see UP Yoddhas take the mat in the second and final game of the night. The PKL 2023-24 match between UP Yoddhas and U Mumba will be telecast LIVE on StarSports Network & can be streamed LIVE on Disney Hotstar, 9:00 PM (IST) onwards, Saturday, December 02, 2023.

U.P. Yoddhas, in their last encounter against U Mumba in Season 9, registered a 38-28 thumping win with Pardeep Narwal & Rohit Tomar spearheading the attack as they collected a total of 21 points together. UP Yoddhas have defeated U Mumba on five occasions from ten encounters until Season 9.

Ahead of the first match, Jasveer Singh, Head Coach, U.P. Yoddhas, said, “We are ready for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 challenge and as a team, we have spent a significant amount of time together, both inside and outside training sessions, which will undoubtedly help us perform better in the upcoming season. Our BK Kabaddi Academy has played a pivotal role in shaping all the players, forming a cohesive team and producing some young talents ready to showcase their true mettle on the mat. I want to express my gratitude to our owners, the GMR Group, for consistently having faith in us, and this time, we will leave no stone unturned to bring happiness to them and our fans all around.

Former captain and top defender of UP Yoddhas, Nitesh Kumar, will be responsible for keeping the defensive unit intact on his shoulders, along with able support from Ashu Singh from the right and Sumit from the left. Captain Pardeep Narwal, also known as Dubki King and one of the most successful raiders in the history of PKL, will take charge of the raiding department along with Surender Gill, who has impressed everyone with his stellar performance in the previous seasons. Given their noticeable performances in the past season, Gurdeep, Nitin Panwar, and Gulveer Singh will be some other players to watch out for.

Before the auction, UP Yoddhas announced their retention list for this season, which included players such as Pardeep Narwal (Raider), Nitesh Kumar (Defender), Surender Gill (Raider), Sumit (Defender), Ashu Singh (Defender), Mahipal (Raider), and Anil Kumar (Raider). With 2.06 crore in purse for the auction, the Yoddhas acquired the services of players like Helvic Simuyu Wanjala (All-rounder, 13 lakhs), Samuel Wanjala (All-rounder, 13 lakhs), Vijay Malik (All-rounder, 85 lakhs), Gurdeep (All-rounder, 20 lakhs), Harendra Kumar (Defender, 13 lakhs), Gulveer Singh (Raider, 13 lakhs), Nitin Panwar (All-rounder, 13 lakhs), and Kiran Laxman Magar (Defender, 13 lakhs). From the New Young Players Program, the Yoddhas picked up young talents like Hitesh (Defender), Gagana Gowda HR (Raider), and Shivam Chaudhary (Raider).

The home venues for each team in the Pro Kabaddi Season 10 are spread across various cities: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Noida, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Patna, Delhi, Kolkata, and Panchkula.