Buzz, stars missing ahead of WSH opener

Uthra G Chaturvedi

If the organisers of the World Series of Hockey (WSH) planned a mega launch, there is little to indicate that by way of buzz in and around the Sector 42 hockey stadium in Chandigarh, the venue of the opening ceremony.

There is less than 24 hours to the start of the hockey league but this seems to be a soft launch in the making. At least, the stars aren’t likely to make their presence felt in the early part of the tournament.

When one reaches the spectator stands within the stadium, tell-tale signs of an upcoming opening ceremony are visible. Inside, a huge stage has been erected. A group of back-up dancers are getting ready to call it a day. The stands sport bright red ‘Chandigarh Comets’ banners.

The confusion over who will play in the hockey league, which is not sanctioned by Hockey India but promoted by the Indian Hockey Federation, has probably made the organisers wait till the last moment before committing to any grand-scale launch or publicity.

The 18 players, part of the India squad at the recent Olympic qualifiers have confirmed that they will not participate in the WSH, uncertainty exists over the status of the rest of the 30 players, part of the probables list.

While Bharat Chhikara (Chandigarh) and Vikas Sharma (Chennai) — till recently part of the Indian side — have decided to join the WSH, as have the likes of Nithin Thimmaiah and Arjun Antil (Karnataka), others like Harbir Singh have decided to report for the national camp starting on March 5.

Stand-by players — Manjit Kullu, VS Vinaya, Mandip Antil, Roshan Minz and Gurjinder Singh — are yet to take a call. “We had four players from the national side but they are not coming now. And a couple of players named in the national camp list will not play in the WSH. Ours is the worst hit side in the WSH, we are left with mostly Sports Authority of India trainees and Bhopal academy players,” admitted Bhopal Badshahs’ Samir Dad, who start their campaign on Wednesday.

Harendra Singh, coach of local side Chandigarh Comets, said apart from the national team players, other Indians have reported. “We are still awaiting our Pakistani players. Rehan Butt and a few others have promised to turn up by mid day tomorrow but until they actually come, I cannot say anything,” he said.

While the WSH has the potential to script a new chapter in Indian hockey, its first season may be played without Indian hockey’s stars.

Cash bonanza

Monetary rewards continued to trickle down for the Indian men’s hockey team as Sahara on Tuesday announced a cash incentive of Rs 1.12 crore for the players and support staffs of the side, that emerged winners in the just-concluded London Olympic qualifiers.

While mid-fielder Sardar Singh, who won the player of the tournament award, and ace drag flicker Sandeep Singh, who scored five goals including a hat-trick in the final, will be given a sum of Rs 11 lakh each, the rest of the team members will get Rs 5 lakh each.