The UP Yoddhas (UP) begin their PKL 11 campaign against Dabang Delhi KC (DEL) on Monday, October 21, at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.
The Yoddhas will look to bounce back from a disappointing PKL 10 where they finished in 11th place. They'll be led by raider Surender Gill, with Bharat Hooda joining as their new lead raider to replace Pardeep Narwal. They've also roped in Mahender Singh to solidify their defense, and will look to add to their four playoff qualifications this season.
Dabang Delhi started their season with a comfortable win over U Mumba, with Ashu Malik starring once again, picking up a Super 10. The points were spread across the defense, and the only concern remains Naveen Kumar's poor outing. The star raider will look to get back to form in this match.
Let's now look at the top three Dream11 surprise picks for this match.
#3 Nitin Panwar (ALL) (DEL)
Dabang Delhi right-cover defender Nitin Panwar could be a very handy surprise pick for your Dream11 teams. Classified as an all-rounder, Nitin is expected to slot in as the right cover alongside Vikrant in the cover chain for Delhi.
Nitin made a few useful contributions for the UP Yoddhas last season, and he is expected to be a defensive leader of sorts to a young and inexperienced defense. At 12.5 credits, he could be a cut-price gem for your Dream11 team.
#2 Ashu Singh (DEF) (UP)
Ashu Singh is one of the more experienced right covers in the league right now. He has been with the UP Yoddhas for the last four seasons in the PKL, amassing a total of 159 tackle points in the league. While he didn't have the best of outings last season, he should be one of the main members of their defense this season.
He's a very proactive and aggressive defender, and while he might make a few unsuccessful tackles, Ashu also picks up plenty of tackle points. With very low ownership, he could emerge as a differential pick in this match.
#1 Sahul Kumar (DEF) (UP)
Sahul Kumar is set to start as the right corner for the UP Yoddhas in PKL 11, replacing the misfiring Nitesh Kumar in the starting 7. He was part of the title-winning PKL 9 campaign for the Jaipur Pink Panthers, and was really solid for them since his PKL debut in Season 8.
Last season, he couldn't quite scale the heights he did in PKL 9, scoring only 39 tackle points in 21 matches, leading to Jaipur releasing him before the auction. The Yoddhas were quick to secure his services, placing plenty of faith in him.
He has a very high points ceiling and should initiate plenty of tackles being the right corner defender. He is a Dream11 pick who could surprise his backers with a big haul in this match.