Mumbai, Jul 12 (IANS): The Mumbai franchise in Ultimate Kho Kho will be called Mumbai Khiladis and will have Rajendra Sapte as its Head Coach in the upcoming tournament.

Rajendra Sapte has enormous experience in Kho Kho coaching with 21 years of service. He started his coaching journey in the Ratnagiri district and has worked with several players, who have participated in sub-junior, junior, senior state-level, national as well as All India University Tournaments.

Sapte was also the coach of the Indian men's team that won the gold medal in the 3rd Asian Championship in April 2016 and the International Kho Kho Championship in 2018, the Mumbai Khiladis informed in a press release on Monday.

Speaking after he was appointed as the Head Coach, Sapte said, "I am very excited to be the Head Coach of the Mumbai Khiladis. I think the Ultimate Kho Kho will be a revolution for Kho Kho and it will inspire many youngsters to take up the sport. The Ultimate Kho Kho will also provide a fantastic platform for the current Kho Kho players in India."

The Mumbai Khiladis team's co-owners Punit Balan and Rapper Badshah shared their views on the team name and the appointment of the Head Coach.

Punit Balan said, "It's an absolute honour to have Rajendra Sapte as our team's coach. He is a very successful Kho Kho coach and I am certain that his experience will be very handy for our team."

Meanwhile, Rapper Badshah said, "Mumbai has always been known for its fantastic sports culture and therefore we wanted to show the spirit of sports in Mumbai by naming the team Mumbai Khiladis. I am sure our team will give it their best in every match."