High-stakes bidding and big signings mark Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League Season 2 Player Auction

Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) concluded its Season 2 Player Auction in Noida with intense bidding and landmark signings. With 12 franchises and a total purse of ₹1.70 crore, the event marked a new chapter in UPKL’s journey to becoming India’s most successful state-level league across any sports. The auction featured 500 players, including national players, emerging talent and young prospects. The auction also witnessed the debut of its newest franchise, Gazab Ghaziabad, which joined the competition alongside Aligarh Tigers, Kanpur Warriors, and Purvanchal Panthers, further expanding UPKL’s footprint to twelve teams.

The auction saw strong participation across all 12 franchises, with top bids reflecting the growing market value of kabaddi talent in Uttar Pradesh. Acquired by Aligarh Tigers, Vinay Tevathia emerged as the highest purchase of the day at Rs 5.90 lakhs. Nitin Panwar was the second highest purchase of the day at Rs 4.45 lakhs, acquired by Ganga Kings of Mirzapur who was closely followed by Ashu Singh at Rs 4.35 lakhs who was purchased by Noida Ninjas. Further to this were Shubham Kumar who was purchased by Kanpur Warriors at Rs 3.20 lakhs and Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi who was sold to Awadh Ramdoots at Rs 2.95 lakhs.

The defending champions, Lucknow Lions, retained key performers from their title-winning squad, including Arjun Deshwal, Vivek Chaudhary, Arpit Saroha, and Mohd Amaan, ensuring a blend of stability and experience as they prepare to defend their crown.

Speaking on concluding the auction for UPKL Season 2, Sambhav Jain, Founder and Director, SJ Uplift Kabaddi, said, “UPKL has established itself as a formidable league in Kabaddi as well as India’s broader sports ecosystem. The league has created value for players and franchises unlike any other state-level league to date. It has unlocked a platform for talent to thrive and has defined what grassroots sports really stand for. The auction witnessed strategic, competitive, and disciplined bidding, resulting in balanced squads across the teams. We’re excited to see how this season unfolds and are committed to amplifying the visibility kabaddi truly deserves.”

The auction witnessed the unveiling of the Broadcast Partner for UPKL’s upcoming three seasons by Former IAS Awanish Kumar Awasthi, advisor to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Also present at the auction were ace Indian Kabaddi player and UPKL brand ambassador Rahul Chaudhary, Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi Association Rajesh Singh, UP Kabaddi Federation’s Vinay Kumar Singh among others.

UPKL Season 2 will feature 71 matches, beginning December 25 2025, in Noida, under the league’s tagline “Apna Bharat, Apna Khel – Khel Raha Hai Mera Pradesh.” All matches will be broadcast live on Zee Sports and ZEE5.

The auction witnessed the unveiling of the Broadcast Partner for UPKL’s upcoming three seasons by Former IAS Awanish Kumar Awasthi, advisor to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Also present at the auction were ace Indian Kabaddi player and UPKL brand ambassador Rahul Chaudhary, Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi Association Rajesh Singh, UP Kabaddi Federation’s Vinay Kumar Singh among others.

UPKL  Season 2 will feature 71 matches, beginning December 25, 2025, in Noida, under the league’s tagline “Apna Bharat, Apna Khel – Khel Raha Hai Mera Pradesh.” All matches will be broadcast live on Zee Sports and ZEE5.

Full Team Line-up – UPKL Season 2

Aligarh Tigers

Vinay Tevathia (₹5.90L), Kunal Bhati, Akshya Rathi, Prince Sharma, Aniruddh, Manish Kumar, Anuj, Rajat Panwar, Anas Khan, Vashu, Uday Patel, Praveen Chaudhary, Mayank Singh, Vipin Kumar

Awadh Ramdoots

Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi (₹2.95L), Ravi Bhati (₹1.90L), Aryadeep Deshwal, Krishan Nagar, Pawan Bhati, Saurabh Singh, Ashish Bhati, Vinod Thakur, Divyanshu Gujjar, Naman Chaudhary, Sourabh, Sandeep Varun, Vishal Yadav

Brij Stars

Lucky Dhankar (₹1.55L), Vishal Chaudhary (₹1.41L), Robin Chaudhary (₹1.05L), Himanshu Chaudhary, Mukul Chaudhary, Yash Kumar, Arjun Singh, Ankit Chaudhary, Somveer, Nikhil Chaudhary, Shivam Sharma, Nikhil TevathiyaGanga Kings of MirzapurNitin Panwar (₹4.45L), Ashish Nagar, Shivam, Ajay Malik, Amit Nagar, Gaurav Giri, Gaurav Bansal, Aditya Kumar, Raj Sahani, Yadav Udit, Anant Rana, Himanshu Malik, Sameer Hussain

Gazab Ghaziabad

Anil Kumar (₹2.25L), Harsh Dhaka (₹1.71L), Ronak Singh (₹1.00L), Uday Dabas, Abhishek Pandey, Arpit Chahal, Aman Pawar, Aman Rana, Shaurya Singh, Hariom, Vipul Chaudhary, Gopal SharmaKanpur WarriorsShubham Kumar (₹3.20L), Azad Singh (₹2.60L), Vivek Kumar, Ayush, Himanshu Deshwal, Vinay Baliyan, Vikram Pratap, Abhishek Kumar, Ankit Yadav, Hunny Kumar, Raghav Salaklan, Anuj Kumar Yadav, Dev Chaudhary

Kashi Kings

Sahul Kumar (₹1.35L), Arjun Sirohi, Prashant Kumar, Vikul Lamba, Harendra Kumar, Dhananjay Kumar, Shrikant Tewathia, Vikrant Tomar, Sumit Tomar, Sonu, Vipul Chaudhary, Deepak Kumar

Lucknow Lions (Defending Champions)

Arjun Deshwal (₹3.10L) (Retained), Vivek Chaudhary (₹1.00L) (Retained), Arpit Saroha (Retained), Akash Nain, Nishant Raghuvanshi, Rahul Nain, Mohd Amaan (Retained), Ujjwal Panwar, Vibhor Datt, Kunal, Arya Deshwal, Kartik Baliyan, Harish Kumar SinghNoida NinjasAshu Singh (₹4.35L), Rachit Yadav (₹2.05L), Manjeet (₹1.00L) (Retained), Ajay Kumar Yadav, Navneet, Alok Kumar, Krishan Mavi, Ayush Kumar, Anand Yadav, Rajdeep Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Shaurya Pratap Singh, Abhishek Yadav

Noida Ninjas

Ashu Singh (₹4.35L), Rachit Yadav (₹2.05L), Manjeet (₹1.00L) (Retained), Ajay Kumar Yadav, Navneet, Alok Kumar, Krishan Mavi, Ayush Kumar, Anand Yadav, Rajdeep Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Shaurya Pratap Singh, Abhishek Yadav

Purvanchal Panthers

Lalit Chaudhary (₹2.10L), Suraj Tomar (₹1.76L), Bhanu Pratap Tomar (₹1.15L), Nigam Chaudhary, Shakti Chaudhary, Shivam Teotia, Hritik Rathi, Vinay Khatiyan, Sachin Kumar, Vijay Gaun, Aakash Saharawat, Rohit Tomar

Sangam Challengers

Shivam Singh Tomar (₹2.60L) (Retained), Pankaj (₹2.55L) (Retained), Manish Kumar, Goutam Singh Tomar, Nishant Baliyan, Mayank Malik, Tushar, Suraj Nain, Aditya Panwar, Rajiv Chaudhary, Harshit, Anubhav Tomar

Yamuna Yoddhas

Ritik Sharma (₹1.20L) (Retained), Abhishek Singh (₹1.20L) (Retained), Lalit Sharma, Abhishek Panwar, Ajay Rathi, Ujjwal Nagar, Vinit Nain, Nitin Solanki, Aman Solanki, Lakshya Chaudhary, Ronak Rana, Himanshu Choudhary