All you need to know about PKL 8: What is NYP in PKL?

The much-awaited eighth season of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is all set to get underway from December 22nd. Kabaddi’s premier franchise tournament will be held at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center without spectators.

U Mumba will face the Bengaluru Bulls in their opening encounter of the season. During the PKL auction held earlier this year, four players were signed from the NYP category with each receiving an amount of INR 8 lakh.

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What is NYP?

Among other categories of players in the PKL Auction, there is a separate category known as the New Young Players (NYP) category. This category is for players from the age group of 18-22 years. This category includes those players who have never appeared in the PKL auction before.

The New Young Players (NYP) are players who come through Mashal Sports’ flagship Future Kabaddi Heroes (FKH) programme. It's a platform that sees coaches from different teams run a nationwide scouting hunt. The process is implemented to find some of the best young talents and nurture them by giving them the platform to participate in the Pro Kabaddi League.

The New Young Players (NYP) category consists of uncapped players who have displayed their talent and skillset on the domestic and junior levels. Teams are allowed to retain up to six New Young Players before the auction.

The Pro Kabaddi League has seen some of the biggest names over the seasons so far. However, the focus over the last few seasons has seen a considerable shift towards promoting new and young talent on the big stage.

When it comes to sports, youth has always been considered as one of the most important aspects. Through the FKH program, New Young Players have been allowed to make a name for themselves.

Moreover, it also helps in connecting with the state associations to discover these young players and thus, increases the kabaddi player pool across the country as well.

The players from this category have seen significant growth in terms of opportunities and are playing a greater number of games. The likes of Nitesh Kumar, Naveen Kumar, Surender Singh, and Sachin Tanwar are some of the stars who have emerged through the NYP category.

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Four NYP Players signed ahead of PKL 2021

During the PKL 2021 auction, four players from the NYP category were signed for the upcoming season. These include Mohit Goyat and Govind Gurjar, who were signed by Puneri Paltan.

Furthermore, the all-rounder Prince was snapped up by Telugu Titans whereas UP Yoddha roped in Nitin Panwar for PKL 2021. These were the only four players to be signed in the auction from a total of 96 players from the New Young Players category.

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