Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 24 : Tejasvi Jaiswal, elder brother of Indian cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal, praised the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) for providing a platform for local players to showcase their talent in the Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL), following Tehri Titans’ narrow four-wicket defeat against Pithoragarh Hurricanes in their opening match of UPL 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Wednesday.
Making his UPL Season 3 debut, Tejasvi said he enjoyed the atmosphere and experience of playing in the league, as per a release. 
“It was a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed playing here. The overall environment was very positive, and it was a good experience to be part of UPL Season 3,” said Tejasvi.
The Tehri Titans put up a strong total of 184/8 after batting first, with Ayush smashing 46 off 19 balls, while Aryan Sharma remained unbeaten on 37 off 15 balls. However, Pithoragarh Hurricanes chased down the target with two balls to spare, with Mayank Mishra’s unbeaten 42 off 18 balls turning the contest in his team’s favour.
Reflecting on the role of UPL in developing cricket in the state, Tejasvi highlighted the opportunities the league provides to players who otherwise have limited exposure to T20 cricket.
“First of all, I would like to thank CAU for organising such a great UPL. There are many local boys who don’t get regular opportunities to play T20 cricket, and this league gives them a platform to showcase their talent. They are doing a great job and making the most of this opportunity. CAU is doing a great job, and I believe many good players will emerge from UPL in the coming years,” he said.
Despite the result, Tejasvi remained positive about Tehri Titans’ campaign, stressing that the team can learn from the close contest and make improvements in the matches ahead, just like we see in international games.
“It was definitely a pressure game. It was a close match and went right until the last over. But it’s okay, this was our first match and the league is still in full swing. We have a lot of cricket left to play, so we will learn from this game and look to improve in the upcoming matches,” he said.
Tejasvi also identified the powerplay and death-overs bowling as areas where the team would look to improve.
“We need to improve in a few areas. We could have played better in the powerplay, and our bowling, especially in the death overs, could have been better. But these are things we can work on. If we identify our mistakes and improve on them, we can definitely get better results in the upcoming matches,” he added.
With the domestic season approaching, Tejasvi said he is focused on strengthening the fundamentals of his game and preparing to represent CAU strongly.
“I am preparing well for the domestic season. I am focusing on my basics and working on the things that I normally rely on in my game. I just want to keep preparing well and hopefully perform strongly for CAU in the coming season,” he said.
The UPL 2026 continues to provide a competitive platform for Uttarakhand’s emerging cricketers, bringing together local talent and players with domestic-level experience while offering young cricketers valuable exposure to the T20 format.