PKL Season 11: U Mumbai meet UP Yoddhas in opening clash of exciting second leg in Noida

Noida (Uttar Pradesh): Former champions U Mumba will take on local giants UP Yoddhas when the second leg of Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) kicks off at the Noida Indoor Stadium here on Sunday, bringing the electrifying atmosphere to Uttar Pradesh with a cracker of an opening clash.

It will be a crucial clash for both teams as the UP Yoddhas have lost their last three games and will be hoping that home advantage can help them find some form, while U Mumba are looking to make it a hat-trick of wins.

After that, the Gujarat Giants, who desperately need a win, will take on the Haryana Steelers in the second match of the day. The Haryana Steelers have been in good form, with the likes of Mohammadreza Shadloui and captain Jaideep doing well in recent games.

Interestingly, both sides played each other in their previous game in PKL Season 11, and the Gujarat Giants will be looking for revenge in Noida.

In anticipation of the Noida-leg, a grand launch event was held at the Radisson, Noida on Saturday, graced by PKL League Commissioner & Head of Sports Leagues at Mashal Sports, Anupam Goswami, along with team captains Surender Gill (UP Yoddhas) and Sunil Kumar (U Mumba), and head coaches Jasveer Singh (UP Yoddhas) and Gholamreza Mazandarani (U Mumba).

Expressing his thoughts on the competitive nature of Season 11 as it rolls into Noida, Anupam Goswami said, "We can expect this leg to be very competitive, as we saw in the Hyderabad leg, where 25 of the 42 matches were decided by less than seven points. This sets an impressive benchmark for Noida, and we can expect it to go on an upward trajectory. All the teams are equally adept, and with such competition on display, we're confident that the Noida leg will be well received by the fans."

UP Yoddhas' captain Surender Gill shared his excitement about playing in front of the home crowd. "Home advantage provides a significant boost to any team's performance, and we've seen that consistently in PKL. The extra motivation we get from our supporters is incredible, especially as we are dealing with multiple matches in a short span, but our team is well-prepared. We are focused on delivering our best performance in front of our home crowd, and we'll make sure to make every match count," he said.

Meanwhile, U Mumba's captain Sunil Kumar spoke about his desire to bring the trophy back to Mumbai.

"The team is performing well right now, and I'm impressed with how our young players are showing great commitment, given most of them are making their PKL debuts just this season. Our primary plan is to maintain this momentum and mindset throughout the tournament. With the way we're performing, I'm confident about our chances to make it to the semifinals and finals. U Mumba last won the title in PKL season 2 back in 2015, and it is time to bring the trophy home for the fans."