Pro Kabaddi League 2019 : 3 Candidates for UP Yoddha's captaincy

UP Yoddha were one of the four franchises who joined the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League in the league’s fifth edition. Two years later, the Lucknow-based franchise is the second most successful of the four teams that transformed the eight-team tourney into a 12-team one.

They have qualified for the second stage in both the seasons they have played but unfortunately they have never made it to the final.

In the first season, the Yoddhas performed dominantly in the league stage and had an easier path to the play-offs compared to their second season where they scripted one of the most epic comebacks of all time. They were in the bottom-half of the points table for a major part of the season yet they made it to the play-offs thanks to some miraculous performances from their players.

This year the Yoddhas would look to cross the final hurdle and try to win the title. They have made a lot of changes in their team this year. You can check out their full squad here.

The most important thing for the franchise this year will be the decision to crown their leader. Here are the 3 players who can lead the Uttar Pradesh team in the 7th season Pro Kabaddi League.

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#3 Nitesh Kumar

Centurion Nitesh Kumar was retained by UP Yoddha

Nitesh Kumar stunned everyone with his remarkable performances in the defense department of UP Yoddha. In the previous season, he became the first ever defender to reach the 100 defense points mark in a single edition.

Given he has a good understanding of the game and now even has the experience of playing in pressure situations, the owners might want to name Nitesh as their skipper for the upcoming season. There is no other defender so experienced as Kumar in the UP squad. Hence, he is the prime contender from the UP defense department to get his team’s reins.

#2 Monu Goyat

Monu Goyat is a former Pro Kabaddi League champion

The most expensive player in the history of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League, Monu Goyat’s stock took a dip in this year’s player auction. After he was sold for a price of ₹1.51 crore last year, the raider could only get a bid of ₹93 lakhs this year. He has moved from the Haryana Steelers to UP Yoddha and would aim to perform well for his new franchise.

Monu is a seasoned campaigner, and he even has the experience of leading a team in the Pro Kabaddi League. He had captained the Haryana Steelers last year but under Monu Goyat’s leadership the team did not qualify for the play-offs.

There is no doubt over Monu’s talent as a raider but the former Patna Pirates player does not have a good record as a leader. The only reason Goyat could still be chosen as the team’s captain is his experience of leading a PKL team. Also, Monu will have some experienced names in his squad this year, who could make his job easy.

#1 Rishank Devadiga

Rishank Devadiga has been the face of the UP Yoddha franchise

Rishank Devadiga was one of the top raiders of the league when he used to represent the U Mumba franchise in the Pro Kabaddi League. However, ever since he has switched to UP Yoddha the Maharashtra-born raider’s performance on the court has hindered because of his fitness issues. Devadiga has had a rough relation with his injuries and thus, he could not play to his full potential in the previous season.

His poor fitness reduced his contract price as the UP Yoddha bought him for a price almost half the amount they had paid last year.

But, expect Devadiga to show up with new energy in the upcoming tournament. He would have worked hard on his fitness levels.

The raider has good leadership skills, and he has proven himself as a good captain in the other domestic tournaments. Thus, there should be no reason the Yoddhas should not assign him their team’s leadership.