UTTAR PRADESH Kabaddi League (UPKL) on Monday announced its second new franchise for season 2 – Aligarh Tigers.
The addition of the Aligarh Tigers to UPKL’s second edition follows the earlier announcement of Kanpur Warriors joining the league.
Sumit Sarraf, managing Director of Shekhar Sarraf Memorial Hospital owns the Aligarh Tigers team.
Speaking on the team acquisition, Sarraf commented: “UPKL has set a new standard for a niche sport, giving kabaddi unprecedented visibility and professional recognition. That impact is what inspired me to join. Aligarh has immense untapped potential, and with Aligarh Tigers, we want to harness that energy into a sport that reflects our city’s strength, discipline, and pride. For us, this is about more than kabaddi; it is about creating opportunities, promoting health and fitness, and putting Aligarh firmly on the sporting map of India.”
On the addition of the new team, Sambhav Jain, founder and director, SJ Uplift Kabaddi, which owns and operates UPKL, stated: “Season 1 of UPKL achieved phenomenal success, proving that kabaddi is ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with mainstream sports. UPKL was created as a platform to nurture talent and give athletes a structured pathway from the local level to professional competition. With Kanpur and now Aligarh joining the league, we are expanding that vision further, building stronger ecosystems, discovering sharper talent, and ensuring kabaddi becomes a sport of choice for the next generation.”
The induction of Aligarh Tigers builds on UPKL’s season 1 achievements, which per the organisers, reached over 30 million TV viewers (BARC India data) and generated 300+ million digital impressions.
SJ Uplift Kabaddi further asserts that the debut season was valued at ₹238 crore, underscoring the league’s “strong market presence and the growing appeal of regional sports IPs”.
