Times of India: Big-ticket buy: Pillay, Cedric back Akashdeep

MUMBAI: There are still a few months to go before the fourth edition of the Hockey India League begins, but, there’s already a buzz around the Uttar Pradesh Wizards camp, thanks to their eye popping capture of the 20-year-old talent Akashdeep Singh.

The striker was the cause of an intense three-way tussle involving Dabang Mumbai, Ranchi Rays and the Wizards at last week’s HIL auction in Delhi. By the time proceedings had ended favourably for the Wizards, Akashdeep was left to come to terms with his newly earned status as ‘highest paid Indian player’. The UP franchise splurged $84,000 on him, and it was money well spent according to the team’s technical director Dhanraj Pillay.

“We were on the lookout for a player like him, and if you look at the last two to three years particularly, his performances have been very good,” the former India captain told TOI. “He has emerged as one of the main players in the Indian team. He makes his presence felt with his ability to earn penalty corners for his team. That’s why we decided to go all out, even though every franchise was wary of their budget in the final minutes.”

Akashdeep’s stock is said to have soared mainly as a result of a key rule change to be implemented from the forthcoming season where a field goal will be worth double. In the pre vious edition, the young striker, then with Delhi Waveriders, was joint-highest in that department with four efforts from open play. Despite losing Akashdeep’s services to a rival, Waveriders coach Cedric D’Souza insisted he had no regrets.

“You win some, you lose some. I have always maintained that one man doesn’t win you games,” D’Souza said although going on to express his wholehearted admiration of his former ward’s talent. “I’d describe him as a complete player. He’s a great striker, a superb carrier of the ball with a lethal finish.

“I’m very happy for him.Just because he won’t be playing for Delhi, don’t expect me to now say something negative,” added D’Souza.

As Pillay and the Wizards celebrate their prized acquisition, D’Souza said his focus would now turn to devising a plan to neutralise the threat posed by Akashdeep. “We will have our strategies in place as will the other teams he comes up against,” he said.