PKL 2023: U Mamba Unveil Star-Studded Coaching Lineup for Pro Kabaddi Season 10

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In an exciting announcement, U Mumba has appointed Gholamreza Mazandarani, KC Suthar, and Jeeva Kumar as the new coaches for Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League.

This marks Mazandarani's return to U Mumba after leading them to the playoffs in 2018. Meanwhile, Suthar will make his debut as a coach in the Pro Kabaddi League.

Joining them is former U Mumba player and Indian Kabaddi legend Jeeva Kumar, who will serve as a Defensive coach. Mazandarani currently holds the position of head coach for Iran's national Kabaddi team and famously guided them to Asian Games Gold in 2018, making history by displacing India.

He is a versatile athlete with experience in freestyle wrestling, Judo, and Kabaddi. Known as one of the world's finest minds in Kabaddi, Mazandarani became the PKL's first international coach during Season 6 with U Mumba.

"Commenting on the appointments, Suhail Chandhok, CEO, U Mumbai said, "We are delighted to welcome back Gholam along with Suthar ji and also welcome back an old U Mumba family member and icon in Jeeva. Over the years we have witnessed Coaches who have worked together as a pair and guided teams to success in the league.

"As season 10 beckons, we wanted to apply a similar formula with a team of like-minded, value-driven coaches who from their own experience can make a long-term impact on player development and drive the strong, united team culture forward."

Chandok further said, "Gholam impressed everyone during his first tenure and Suthar ji who is a reputed Coach, brings his experience & success of working in Iran with their kabaddi team and with youngsters at SAI, which helps create synergy with Gholam and unlock the potential of our young players.

"Jeeva anna" seamlessly fits into our team with his work ethics shown first as a player and then as an Assistant coach. He is one of the sport's most respected players with an immense love for U Mumba, having been with the team through the initial glory days and will work closely work with both coaches to help further strengthen our defensive unit."

Suthar is highly respected among Kabaddi coaching ranks and has previously coached both the Indian national team and Iran's national team. Under his guidance, players such as Manpreet Singh, Pankaj Shirsat, Neer Gulia, and Rakesh Kumar have achieved success.

Jeeva Kumar is an Indian & U Mumba Kabaddi legend hailing from Kanyakumari. He won a Gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games and was part of U Mumba from PKL Season 1 to 4 when they won the Championship in 2015. With his exceptional skills as a Left Cover defender, he earned recognition as one of the best defenders worldwide.

After winning another PKL title with Dabang Delhi in Season 8, Jeeva transitioned to coaching and helped UP Yoddhas qualify for the playoffs as an Assistant Coach. He now joins U Mumba as a Defensive Coach.

Suhail Chandhok, CEO of U Mumbai, expressed his delight in welcoming Mazandarani, Suthar, and Jeeva to the coaching team. He emphasized the importance of creating a strong team culture and player development through experienced coaches who share similar values.

Mazandarani expressed his excitement about returning to U Mumba and working alongside Suthar again. He praised Suthar's impact on Kabaddi and looked forward to meeting the fans in Mumbai.

Suthar thanked U Mumba for their trust in him and expressed his eagerness to partner with Mazandarani and Jeeva in bringing success to the team.Jeeva shared his enthusiasm about coming back to U Mumba, calling it his home.

He cherished the memories he made with the franchise during his playing career and looked forward to building a strong team with young players while representing the team's ethics and culture.With these new coaching appointments, U Mumba aims to create a legacy of attractive kabaddi that will make their fans proud.