Ankit Jaglan to lead Patna Pirates in PKL Season-12; UP Yoddhas name Sumit Sangwan as captain

Ankit Jaglan and Deepak Singh were on Wednesday named captain and vice captain of three-time champions Patna Pirates for the upcoming Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League. The Patna outfit will kick off their campaign on September 1 against the UP Yoddhas.

Jaglan, who has been with Patna Pirates for the third consecutive year, is the highest paid all-rounder and has proven his mettle with his speed and agility including a high tackle percentage rate last season.

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“I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the Patna Pirates and the aim is to compete at the highest level for the entire squad. Working with coach Anup Kumar has been such a great learning curve and his experience and coaching style will only take this squad further. There is no doubt that we are aiming for the ultimate prize and the entire squad knows their role and are looking forward to take Patna Pirates all the way,” Jaglan said.

Star defender Deepak has accumulated a total of 282 tackles, showcasing his ability to disrupt the opposing team’s raiders effectively and is crucial to the team’s impenetrable defence.

The Pirates has a formidable line up with Ankit and Deepak at the helm, ably supported by Ayan Lohchab, Navdeep, Sudhakar Maruthamuthu, Deepak Jaglan, Hamid Mirzaei Nader, Sanket Sawant, Sombir, Amin Ghorbani, Maninder Singh, Ankit Kumar, Mandeep Kumar, Milan Dahiya, Sahil Patil, Ashish Birwal, Balaji, Jadhav Shahaji and Saurabh Narwal.

Sumit Sangwan to lead UP Yoddhas in PKL-12

Star defender Sumit Sangwan has been appointed skipper of the UP Yoddhas for the upcoming season, starting August 29. His long-time teammate Ashu Singh has been named the vice-captain of the side.

Both Sumit (26) and Ashu (27) began their journeys with UP Yoddhas as New Young Players (NYPs) in Season 7, and have since evolved into pillars of the team’s defensive setup. While Sumit is known for his agility, timing, and tactical intelligence, and has consistently ranked among the league’s top defenders over the past few seasons, Ashu impressed with his relentless work rate, unselfish play, and composure under pressure.

With the captain and vice-captain who have been part of the franchise since their professional debuts, Yoddhas, this season, are confident of blending experience with youthful energy to bring home championship glory.

Head coach Jasvir Singh praised the duo’s journey, saying, “Sumit and Ashu are exceptional players and true Yoddhas. From their very first match, they have demonstrated commitment, discipline and a team-first mindset. They’ve earned this responsibility through years of consistent performance and dedication.”

The UP Yoddhas have a power-packed line-up gearing up for the season. The team boasts a quality line-up of raiders including Guman Singh, Dong Geon Lee, Pranay Rane, Bhavani Rajput, Surender Gill, Gagan Gowda, Shivam Choudhary, Keshav Kumar and Jatin Singh. Besides the duo of Sumit and Ashu, the Yoddhas’ defence is equally impressive with Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi, Mahender Singh, Ronak Nain, Sahul Kumar, Hitesh Kadiyan, Jayesh Mahajan, Gangaram and Sachin Manipal.