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When you have the world’s best goalkeeper of 2014 between the sticks, reigning Player of the Year in your defence and a Captain who has been voted not once or twice, but five times as the World Player of the Year, then you can gauge the strength of that team.
A star studded side boasting of a strong Australian contingent, Jaypee Punjab Warriors line-up is nothing short of exceptional.
After a poor campaign in 2013, Warriors resurfaced strongly in 2014 to reach the finals.They eventually lost in the penalty shoot out to Delhi Waveriders.
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However, this time they would be in a mood to set the record straight and make amends for their fall at the last hurdle. And to make that happen they have enough aces up their sleeve to go one better this time.
TEAM OVERVIEW
Owner: Jaypee Group
Head Coach: Barry Dancer
Manager: Jagbir Singh
Captain: Jamie Dwyer
Home Stadium: International Hockey Stadium,Mohali,Punjab(Capacity-13,648)
Team Composition:
| Player | Nationality | Position |
|---|---|---|
| India | Goalkeeper | |
| Jaap Stockmann | Netherland | Goalkeeper |
| Affan Yousuf | India | Forward |
| India | Forward | |
| Gaganpreet Singh | India | Forward |
| Australia | Forward | |
| Jamie Dwyer (Captain) | Australia | Forward |
| Jarmanpreet Singh | India | Forward |
| Australia | Forward | |
| Malak Singh | India | Forward |
| Satbir Singh | India | Forward |
| India | Forward | |
| India | Forward | |
| Sandeep Singh | India | Defender |
| Australia | Defender | |
| Mark Knowles | Australia | Defender |
| Varun Kumar | India | Defender |
| Argentina | Midfielder | |
| Gurinder Singh | India | Midfielder |
| Gurmail Singh | India | Midfielder |
| Argentina | Midfielder | |
| Robert Hammond | Australia | Midfielder |
| Simon Orchard | Australia | Midfielder |
| Simranjeet | India | Midfielder |
Past Performances
After a drab first season, Warriors reacted in a strong fashion last year with just one loss, two draws and eight wins in their run to finals. With an average of 2.64 goals in every match,they would definitely try to maintain that rate again.
Key Players
Defense
The real key to Punjab’s probable success this season could be their world class defense. The phenomenal goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann under the bar and the trio of Ciriello,Knowles and Sandeep Singh is the best defense line you can have in this business. Much would be expected from Mark Knowles specially after his recent achievement of being World Player of the Year of 2014.
“Big Dog” Ciriello and Sandeep Singh’s lethal drag flicks would be another headache for the opposition defence.
Midfield
The presence of names like Lucas Rey, Robert Hammond.Simon Orchard in the centre of the park adds a superlative dimension to this team. Nonetheless,one key concern for Punjab would be the absence of an experienced Indian player in the midfield. Gurinder and Gurmail singh are the only two young Indian anchors to assist in the middle.
Forward
Captain Jamie Dwyer would again be leading the charge in the attack. S.V. Sunil and Affan Yousuf are the other men responsible for scoring goals for the team. Dharamvir and Shivendra are other Indian forwards to look out for.
