Sandeep Singh speaks about the HIL

Hockey India League is going to kick-start its campaign from the 14th of January, 2013. Hockey is our national game and a tournament like HIL will help it regain its lost glory and popularity. It is going to be the first competitive hockey league which will be played in India and therefore expectations are going to be very high. Altogether, we will witness hockey at a level which will be much quicker and more intense than the usual one. Indian players are going to play alongside the world’s best hockey players, which will be a great experience and encouragement for them.

HIL will be a great platform for youngsters to showcase their talent and gain some valuable experience. HIL will raise the standard of the game and financially will be a great help to the players. It will add a much needed glamour quotient to the game. Indian fans will be delighted to witness hockey like they have never seen before. They will be watching their favourite hockey players donning not the blue colour but different colours, and will get to witness some interesting and entertaining matches.

I will be playing for the Mumbai Magicians team and I am looking forward to joining the camp which starts from tomorrow in Mumbai. Talking about my team, it’s going to be coached by Ric Charlesworth, who is regarded as a top coach in the hockey world as he is in charge of the Australian Hockey Team. We have the world’s best defender in Matthew Swann and forward in Glen Turner, both from Australia and our very own goalkeeper PR Suyash, who has great potential. We have a nice combination of Spanish, Pakistani, Malaysian, Australian and Indian players and will hope to give our best on the field. Every team in HIL has a good combination of domestic and foreign players and therefore every team is a tough one. We cannot, at any point, follow the ‘take it easy’ policy and will have to be well prepared to face our oppositions. It will all come down to that particular day of the match and who plays well on that day. Personally, this league is going to be very important for me as I will hope to perform well and make a comeback to the Indian Hockey Team.