Delhi Waveriders are all set to start their season of the Coal India Hockey India League with a new stadium and a new squad.
The team which managed to beat Uttar Pradesh Wizards last year in a third place playoff has made some crucial buys for the 4th edition of the tournament.
The six team annual league, the flagship event of Hockey India and sanctioned by International Hockey Federation (FIH), will see Delhi Waveriders open their account this season against last year runner’s up Jaypee Punjab Warriors at Chandigarh on January 20.
The team under the guidance of Head Coach Cedric D’ Souza will look forward to an impressive season this year, acquiring a good set of Indian and overseas players.
The Indian players who will be on display for the Delhi team are young and full of promise. The major Indian retentions which has been made by the Delhi team include star forward Yuvraj Walmiki.
Yuvraj, who spent some time last year away from the sport will be looking forward to make the HIL — his pavement to make an entry back into the Indian national team.
The forward line for Delhi Waveriders also features the Talwinder Singh who will look to continue his good form.
The 22-year-old will be accompanied by his team mate Mandeep Singh who was acquired for a sum of $ 70,000 by the franchise.
Star defender Rupinder Pal Singh, who also hit the winning goal for India in the Bronze medal match against Netherlands in the Hero Hockey World League Finals in Raipur last year, fetched a price of USD 68,000 from the franchise and will be one of the key players in the defence line.
Another young star who was retained by Delhi was Indian junior men’s national team captain Harjeet Singh who with his recent achievements will be a crucial player in the midfield.
“We did put up a good show with a podium position finish in the last edition of the Hockey India League but I believe with each new season we should set different expectations. The Indians and overseas players are jellying pretty well and it will really help the team to play as one unit or dictate the terms in any match,” D’Souza said.
Among overseas players, New Zealander Simon Child who was the highest scorer from Delhi in the tournament with 4 goals will be looking to repeat a similar performance this time.
Along with Simon, Australian midfielder Tristan White has also been retained by the team.
The addition of Devon Manchester in between the goalposts will give an added spark to the team. Devon was purchased for a sum of $27,000 against a base price of $15,000.
The other key foreign players include Mark Pearson from England in the Midfield, Steven Edwards from New Zealand and Benjamin Stanzl from Austria. The defence will see the presence of Iain Lewers from England and Justin Reid — Ross from South Africa.
