LUCKNOW, June 25 -- Uttar Pradesh Handball Association on Tuesday announced the launch of its maiden 'UP Pro Handball League' at Noida this December with the 10-day event offering Rs 10 lakh to the champions team. There would be 39 matches during the league. Whereas the runners-up will be richer by Rs 7 lakh, teams finishing third and fourth will be getting Rs 2.5 lakh each. Executive director of the Handball Association India, Anandeshwar Pandey and executive general secretary of Uttar Pradesh Handball Association, Amit Pandey informed that a total of eight teams, including Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Meerut and Noida will participate in the first edition of this league. "These teams will mainly have players from UP. Each team will have 18 players, out of which 15 players will be from Uttar Pradesh while two players will be from other states and one player will be of the team owner's choice," said Pandey. "The popularity of handball is increasing rapidly in the country. The league in this game has already started as the Premier Handball League. Organising the league in UP on the same lines is highly commendable," said Pandey, adding, "This will provide a new professional platform to the players of the entire state. This will not only recognize their talent, but will also benefit them financially." Amit Pandey informed that the main objective of this league is to take the thrill of handball to every corner of the state and connect the youth with it."The players will be selected through an auction to be held in Lucknow in October. Around 120 players will participate in the auction and the base price will start from Rs 20,000. Each team will get a purse of Rs 30 lakh," he added. League coordinator Pappal Goswami said that this league will be organized on a large scale. "We plan to organize its next edition in Lucknow so that the sports lovers here can also watch the thrill of the league sitting at home," said Pappal....