Dehradun. The squads of all seven men’s teams for the third edition of the Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) have been completed after the players draft. The competition will be organized from September 21 to October 1 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Raipur.
Teams of Pithoragarh Hurricanes, USN Indians, Nainital Tigers, Rishikesh River Kings, Haridwar Almas, Tehri Titans and Dehradun Warriors will participate in the competition to be held under the aegis of Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU). The teams have a combination of senior, under-23, under-19 and uncapped players.
In the Players Draft, prominent players of Uttarakhand have been made icon players of various teams. Icon players will be Akash Madhwal of Rishikesh River Kings, Suchit J of USN Indians, Avneesh Sudha of Nainital Tigers, Yuvraj Chaudhary of Haridwar Almas, Tejaswi Jaiswal of Tehri Titans, Kunal Chandela of Dehradun Warriors and Mayank Mishra of Pithoragarh Hurricanes.
CAU Secretary Kiran Verma said that the talents of Uttarakhand have got a strong platform through the Players Draft. He said that the coming together of senior and emerging players will increase the competition and excitement in the third season.
Mahim Verma, former secretary of CAU and former vice-president of BCCI, said that UPL gives players an opportunity to perform and showcase their abilities in a competitive environment. According to him, as the IPL auction cycle is nearing, this can be an important platform for the players to perform.
UPL Chairperson Sunil Joshi said that the excitement in the league has increased after the draft. The combination of experienced and young players shows the depth of talent available in Uttarakhand cricket.
Four teams will also participate in the women’s competition. These include Mussoorie Queens, Bageshwar Aerial, Pithoragarh Hurricanes and Dehradun Warriors.
In the women’s category, Prema Rawat, Raghavi Bisht, Nandini Kashyap and Sweta Verma have been made icon players of Bageshwar Aerials, Pithoragarh Hurricanes, Mussoorie Queens and Dehradun Warriors respectively.
After the squads of all the teams have been completed for the third edition, now the focus is on the competitive matches. UPL 2026 matches will be played from September 21 to October 1 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Dehradun.