Pune, Jul 16 (IANS): The Mumbai Khiladis acquired a robust 24-member team for the Ultimate Kho Kho, which is slated to begin on August 14.

The Mumbai franchise, co-owned by Punit Balan, Rapper Badshah and Jhanvi Dhariwal Balan picked a well-balanced side and are raring to go in the first season of the competition.

The Mumbai Khiladis team includes Milind Kurpe, Durvesh Salunke, Rajat Malik, Rohan Kore, Rohit Verma, Rahul Sawant, Visag S, Avik Singha, Harish Mohmmad, Shreejesh S, Sourabh Ahir, Devendra Dagur, Vijay Hajare, Sribin KP, Gaurav, Faizankha Pathan, Gaurav Kandpal, Srijin J, Abhishek Pathrode, Abhishek MS, Ummer Ahmad Rathar, Gajanan Shengal, Bichu SS and Rajesh Kumar.

Asked about the team combination, Mumbai Khiladis head coach Rajendra Sapte said, "We are happy with our team combination. Our team has acquired some good players. We focused on drafting youngsters in our side. However, we acquired a few senior players as well for constructing a well-balanced side. The junior players will get a chance to learn from the senior players as well."

Speaking about some of the senior players in the side, the coach said, "There are quite a few senior players in our side such as Vijay Hajare from Railways, Milind Kurpe from Maharashtra, Gajanan Shengal from Maharashtra and Shreejesh S, who also plays for Railways. Every coach wants his or her players to showcase good technique and perform well, but I want all my players to ensure that they are taking care of their individual responsibilities in the team as well."

Sapte also spoke about the importance of the Ultimate Kho Kho for the sport.

"Ultimate Kho Kho was needed for the game of kho kho. It will be a good stage for the players and the game in India. The league will also help to construct a database of players' statistics with the use of technology. If we can analyse every player's performance through numbers, then it will be good for the game in the future." the coach signed off.