47th Senior Men’s Kabaddi Championship (U.P) marks the inauguration Launch of U.P. Yoddha B.K. Kabaddi Academy in Meerut

Khel Today Reporter

Meerut : U.P. Yoddha – the GMR Group-owned Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) franchisee, today, inaugurated the U.P. Yoddha B.K. Kabaddi Academy in Mehrauli, Meerut – a state of the art training facility for budding kabaddi players of the country. The formal opening of the facility is being marked by the hosting of the 47^th Senior Men’s Kabaddi Championship, Uttar Pradesh to be held from 19^th February 2021 – 21^st Feb 2021.

The 16 team event which is going to feature some of the best players and upcoming young talent in the state is the first major event at the venue. The first day of the championship is going to feature 14 matches, followed by 15 matches on the second day with the third day being reserved for the semi-finals and the final.

The championship will be culminated with an all-star kabaddi match on the final day featuring U.P. Yoddha and Star Warriors. The highlight match is going to feature some of U.P. Yoddha’s biggest Indian stars like Captain Nitesh Kumar, local star Ashu Singh and star raider Surender Gill amongst others. They will be up against the challenge from Star Warriors represented Nitin Tomar, Patna Pirate’s star raider Pardeep Narwal and others.

Speaking on the launch of the academy and the championship, Col. Vinod Kumar Bisht, CEO, GMR League Games, said, “U.P. Yoddha has always believed that a strong foundation can provide the right direction for the growth of the sport in the state. With the academy, we just take a step further to actualizing that goal and the state championship as our inaugural event is the perfect launchpad for the same. Further, the all-star kabaddi match on 21^st February will prove to be a major attraction and provide the youngsters with an experience of a lifetime.”

The academy is being launched with the sole intention of providing upcoming talent with an all-round training to become the Kabaddi stars of the future. It is equipped to accommodate 200 players at a time.

The facility further boasts of world-class training and practice infrastructure such as indoor kabaddi mats (4 mats can be accommodated), modern gym and outdoor has running track, mud and sand kabaddi arena and a full-fledged hostel facility. It also has in-house physios and strength and conditioning coach along with a guided nutritional plan by experts for the holistic development of the budding players. The facility is headed by U.P. Yoddha Head Coach, Jasveer Singh.

Head Coach of U.P. Yoddha, Jasveer Singh commented on the development and said, “We have had local talents who have represented U.P. Yoddha over the years but having an academy of our own makes our search for new talent all the more easy. I will be able to supervise the training of all who join our academy and this will majorly help in streamlining our process. I am hopeful that we will soon be able to provide a pipeline of young players not only for our team but also for India.”

The academy is located strategically on the outskirts of Meerut and is only a two-hour drive from Delhi. A metro connecting the academy has been proposed as well. The academy is surrounded by well- developed infrastructure and also has easy access to several hospitals and hotels. Further, the presence of educational institutes in the vicinity provides a ready opportunity for students to enrol themselves.

Bijender Singh, Chairman of U.P. Yoddha B.K. Kabaddi Academy, said, “Though COVID-19 had delayed our intended launch of the academy, we are glad that our goal of providing the state with world-class training facility has finally come to fruition. We are very positive that our academy will go a long way in becoming the backbone of nurturing some of the best young kabaddi players. We are looking forward to hosting all the young stars in the 47th Senior Men’s Kabaddi Championship.”

Rajesh Kumar, Maha Sachiv, Kabaddi Association Uttar Pradesh said, “On the occasion of 47^th Senior Men’s Kabaddi Championship (U.P.), all players and officials are taking an oath that we will participate in the championship with full dedication and honesty.”

U.P. Yoddha will also be conducting a PKL pre-season camp at the U.P. Yoddha B.K. Kabaddi Academy.

Below is the full list of participants for the all-star kabaddi match: