Exclusive: "We have always believed in promoting young talent," says GMR League Games CEO Col. Vinod Kumar Bisht 

The Pro Kabaddi League, since its inception in 2014, has emerged as a platform for some of the best kabaddi players from all over the country to make a mark and carve a career for themselves in the sport.

While big names such as Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Rahul Chaudhari have all earned a massive status with their consistent performances, youngsters such as Siddharth Desai, Pawan Sehrawat and Nitesh Kumar have already staked a claim for a spot in the senior national team, having exhibited some tremendous skills on the mat.

Given that kabaddi is indeed a fast-paced sport, a lot of emphasis has been laid on bringing the best out of talented youngsters and one franchise that has left a lasting impact by structuring the team around these young players is U.P. Yoddha.

Having made their PKL debut in season 5 of the competition alongside Gujarat Fortune Giants, Haryana Steelers and the Tamil Thalaivas, the Yoddha have been one of the most consistent sides in the league and have qualified for the knockout stages in both their seasons thus far, as they chase an elusive title this season.

Sportskeeda caught up with Col. Vinod Kumar Bisht, CEO of GMR League Games in an exclusive chat as he spoke in length about the importance of promoting young talent, the franchise's tie-up with the U.P. Kabaddi League and a lot more.

The U.P. Yoddha, led by ace corner defender Nitesh Kumar have enjoyed a top show this season as they have picked up 9 wins from 17 matches and are placed 4th on the points table, with a good chance of making it to the top 6.

However, in a season that has produced many quality matches that have gone all the way down to the wire, Col. Bisht remarked that no team can be taken lightly and a lot can change over a couple of games.

The ongoing season has rightly been monikered as the toughest season ever, with the change in the format that has given each team a good chance to qualify for the knockouts. The schedule is such that each team plays the same number of matches at a given point in time and this has brought about a good level of competition.

Contrary to their current form, the Yoddha did not start too well this season as they picked up only three wins from their first 10 matches but found form at the right time as they now have six wins from their last seven matches. Col. Bisht shed light on how the franchise backed the youngsters to step up in the absence of senior players.

We did not start off well and struggled to get our combination right but we changed the strategies and introduced younger players and urged them to stick to the basics. They settled well, especially on the defensive front and that has brought about a string of wins.

Before the season, the Yoddha signed three big raiders in Shrikant Jadhav, Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat to lead the side but injuries to Rishank and Monu dented the Yoddha's campaign. However, in their absence, Jadhav and Surender Gill have stepped up to the task to revive the team's campaign.

Unfortunately for us, our star raiders were hit by injuries early in the season. The youngsters found it tough initially but they have taken up the responsibility and our performance has looked good with them doing well in recent matches.

In a massive bid to promote young talent in Uttar Pradesh, the UP Yoddha partnered with the U.P. Kabaddi League to unearth some of the best talents in the state and when quizzed about the inspiration behind this alliance, Col. Bisht put it down to the need to widen the base of procuring quality talent.

Any professional league needs to have a broader base in order to be stable. As a franchise, we realised that we needed a wider net to dig out new talented players from the state of UP and we joined hands with the Kabaddi League. This was done in order to reach out to a broader audience, give a lot more youngsters a platform to excel, hone their skills and be ready for top-flight kabaddi.

Nitesh Kumar (L) has led the team from the front

Given that the Yoddha have added a lot of emphasis on promoting young talent, it is important to note that the strategy has always been to infuse confidence in players at a young age to bring out the best in them.

UP Yoddha's overall success has gone in parallel with consistent performances from the youngsters. Right from the first season, our focus was on picking up young players from the NYP program and handing them opportunities. If you see, last season, Nitesh Kumar became the first ever defender to score 100 tackle points and in this edition, we named him as the captain of the side ahead of other experienced names.

Yet, amidst having retained a core of their defensive unit from last season, the Yoddha stuck to their strategy of signing some exciting youngsters but also signed three big raiders in Shrikant, Rishank and Monu, and the idea behind this approach was laid out by Col. Bisht.

While we have faith in our youngsters to form the fulcrum of the team, for a team to do well, quality raiders are very important. We picked up experienced raiders who are well known in the league, who were certain to add depth to the side and bring their experience into the team.

With just one match left for the Yoddha before an all-important home leg at Greater Noida, Col. Bisht stressed on the importance of being clear of the elimination zone just before they tackle a high-pressure home leg.

As a management, we are well aware that the home leg is a high pressure point for the home side and most teams do not do too well at home because of the limited time frame to make an impact. Certainly, the main target is to be assured of a spot in the top 6 before we commence our home leg.