Dehradun, Sep 15 (VOICE) – The highly awaited Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) 2024 commenced with great fanfare on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun. The vibrant inauguration ceremony was graced by the presence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who celebrated the launch of this exhilarating cricket tournament. The UPL 2024 aims to spotlight top local cricket talent, promising a season filled with thrilling matches that will captivate fans and foster regional sports development.

The league’s draft process, held in an electrifying atmosphere, saw the selection of icon players for both men’s and women’s teams, underscoring the wealth of cricketing talent in Uttarakhand. Each franchise has built its squad around these standout players, who have made notable contributions to domestic cricket and beyond.

**UPL 2024 – Men’s Squads:**

**Pithoragarh Hurricanes**: Led by captain and icon player Akash Madhwal, the team includes Vijay Sharma, Rohit Dangwal, Sunny Kashyap, Neeraj Rathour, Ashish Joshi, Vishal Kashyap, Parmender Chadda, Aryan Choudhary, Hitesh Naula, Aditya Naithani, Anmol Shah, Harsh Vikram Singh, Shivam Gupta, Shashank Wadhwa, and Nikhil Harsh.

**USN Indians**: Under the leadership of captain and icon player Kunal Chandela, the squad features Yuvraj Chaudhary, Aryan Sharma, Akhil Singh Rawat, Devendra Bora, Agrim Tiwari, Prashant Chauhan, Aarav Mahajan, Manish Gaur, Anay Basant Chhetri, Shashank Shekhar Pant, Rahul Negi, Abhinav Sharma, Ajay Dimri, Abhishek Roshan, and Tejender Singh.

**Dehradun Warriors**: Captained by icon player Aditya Tare, this team includes Dikshanshu Negi, Himanshu Bisht, Abhay Negi, Vaibhav Bhatt, Satyam Baaliyan, Harjeet Singh, Sanskar Rawat, Sagar Rawat, Rakshit Rohi, Poorvansh Dhruv, Ashar Khan, Mohit Kumar, Aanjaniya Suryavansh, Deepak Kumar, and Anshul Singh.

**Haridwar Spring Elmas**: With Samarth Ravikumar as captain and icon player, the team comprises Girish Raturi, Saurabh Rawat, Prashant Kumar Bhati, Harman Singh, Saurav Chauhan, Shashwat Dangwal, Pramod Rawat, Sparsh Joshi, Kunal Veer Singh, Rajya Vardhan Singh, Aditya Rawat, Krishna Garg, Himanshu Sony, Prajiwal Rawat, and Daksh Awana.

**Nainital SG Pipers**: Rajan Kumar leads this squad as captain and icon player. The team members include Avneesh Sudha, Mayank Mishra, Aditya Sethi, Prateek Pandey, Priyanshu Khanduri, Nikhil Pundir, Harsh Rana, Kartik Bhatt, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Abhyuday Bhatnagar, Arush Melkani, Aniket S Rahal, Naveen Kumar Singh, Sachin Bhati, and Devansh Sharma.

**UPL 2024 – Women’s Squads:**

**Nainital SG Pipers**: Icon player and captain Ekta Bisht heads the team that includes Kanchan Parihar, Megha Saini, Sweta Verma, Amisha Bahukhandi, Gunjan Bhandari, Radha Chand, Kanak Tapraniya, Vaishali Tulera, Dipika Chand, Pramila Rawat, Tanya Kanaujiya, Manisha Kunwar, KM Aarti, and Priya.

**Pithoragarh Hurricanes**: Led by captain and icon player Neelam Bisht, the team comprises Raghavi Bisht, Neelam Bharadwaj, Safina Jyoti Giri, Anjali Kathait Preeti Bhandari Muskan Kumari Karuna Shety Ankita Shah Bhoomi Umar Yashika Baunthiyal Ananya Mehra Nandina Kaushik Ritika Chauhan.

**Mussoorie Thunders**: Mansi Joshi serves as the captain and icon player. The team includes Sarika Koli Prema Rawat Anjali Goswami Nandini Kashyap Reena Jindal Divya Bohra Shagun Chaudhary Sakshi Joshi Gaytri Arya Nandini Sharma Rudra Sharma Neha Mehta Garima Bisht Sona Badola.

The UPL 2024 is not just a tournament but a significant milestone in promoting sports in Uttarakhand. By providing a platform for local talent to shine on a grand stage it aims to inspire a new generation of cricketers in the region.