UP Yoddha owner reveals why he increased his own bid for Pardeep Narwal during the PKL Auction 2021.
After a bittersweet ending with three-time champion Patna Pirates, star raider Pardeep Narwal has joined the UP Yoddha after the franchise bought him in the 2021 Pro Kabaddi League Auction for ₹1.65 crores.
The franchise finished thirrd last season in the league stage. The club will look to repeat their stellar performance to bag a place in the playoffs. With the addition of “Dubki King”, Pradeep Narwal into their ranks, the UP Yoddha look strong contenders for the coveted title this season.
The UP-based franchise has managed to assemble a strong side this season, to emerge as one of the favourites to win the title this season.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the UP Yoddha CEO, Col. Binod Bisht, touched down on the record-breaking signee, his strategies going into the auction, and the future of the team.
“I increased my own amount because I didn’t want to lose him to Pirates!” – Bisht
UP Yoddha surprised many when they increased their own bid by 10 lakhs for Narwal in this year’s auction. When he was asked about the move, the CEO laughed about the incident.
“That was a hard ball! I tried to increase my own amount because just for an extra 5-10 lakhs we didn’t want to lose him to Patna Pirates. That’s why I increased the bid, sometimes you have to do your homework and understand the capacity of other teams. Glad it worked out in the end eventually.”
UP Yoddha has emerged as one of the top contenders for the league title after the addition of Narwal into their squad. The franchise also managed to retain Shrikant Jadhav, their star raider from last season who bagged 148 points last season. The player will receive a lot of support from Pradeep this season, as the two can create mayhem in the opposition half.
The franchise has focussed a lot on their youngsters for the past few seasons. With the perfect blend of experience in the squad, the fans will hope for another production run this season.
