Telugu Yoddhas are a Kho Kho franchise backed by GMR Sports. Telugu Yoddhas are one of the six teams to feature in the inaugural season of Ultimate Kho Kho. For the first time in the history of Kho Kho, the Players’ Draft happened to allocate the players to all the participating franchisees and Telugu Yoddhas team was successful in gaining the services of star players Pratik Waikar, Rohan Shingade, Arun S.A. and Saudarshan from the Category A list of players.
There are a total of 22 players who complete a formidable squad which will be coached by Kho Kho world’s renowned name and a popular figure, Sumit Bhatia. The franchise owners, GMR Sports, a division of the GMR Group was initiated with the belief that sports provide a connection with the community at large. The capital’s IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals, marked the beginning of this venture, followed by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) franchise of Pro Kabaddi - UP Yodhas in 2017 and the Telangana franchise of Ultimate Kho Kho - Telugu Yoddhas in 2022, domestically.
In 2022, GMR Sports expanded its foot into the International Sports Leagues after acquiring the Dubai franchise of the International League T20 - Dubai Capitals, in UAE’s newly announced T20 Cricket League and the Pretoria franchise, namely Pretoria Capitals, in Cricket South Africa’s T20 Cricket League. Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Corporate Chairman of the GMR Group says that since its inception, over 15 years ago, the company has done pioneering work in growing popular sports such as Cricket and other indigenous sports like Kabaddi and Wrestling across India and overseas.
A franchise that has built itself like a Yoddha will look to leave a mark in the first season of Ultimate Kho Kho. By being a stakeholder in this league, GMR Sports are looking to uplift the sport and create history in the sporting ecosystem of India.
