Till a few years back hockey fans had to wait for India-Pakistan bilateral series or some big events like Olympics or World Cup etc to watch competitive hockey. Neither all the hockey tournaments were broadcasted by the TV channels nor was the telecast, along with the commentary, of a great level.
Things have changed in the last decade. Premier Hockey League on ESPN was a game changer, and World Series Hockey followed its footsteps. Hockey was presented in a glamorous avatar with a new format; there were cheer-girls, telecast was a treat to watch for the TV viewers, and not to forget the commentary, which was way better than the oldies doing radio commentary on TV!!
Hockey India League is the new baby on the board. It created a buzz even before its start. Franchisee system, players’ auction, and the ‘official status’ etc have surely given it a head start.
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There is another unique thing www.stick2hockey.com noticed about HIL is commentary. There used to be an era when Jasdev Singh made the radio commentary popular in India, but with TV, and even LIVE streaming on web, radio is the thing of past.
Then there is Doordarshan model of commentary where English and Hindi commentators sit together in one commentary box and take turns in commentary. ESPN went a step ahead and broadcasted the PHL in two different languages, Hindi and English, but match was telecast only on the single channel. So one had to contact cable operator for choice of language.
HIL has taken even a better step. Star group, the official broadcast partner of HIL is telecasting the cash-rich league on two different channels: Star Sports and Star Cricket. Star Sports will have Hindi commentary and it will broadcast all the matches while the later will entertain the viewers with English commentary.
Commentary is always supposed to be a 2-men affair: one lead commentator and the other usually an expert. We have heard Sunil Taneja combining with Olympian Jagbir Singh for PHL Hindi commentary. The HIL seems improved the things.
Star Sports has roped in a huge squad of experts, who team up with the caller commentators. Sunil Taneja and Ravi Kant Singh in Hindi, and Michael, David and Soloman in English. The Hindi experts include former skipper Pargat Singh, legendary former striker Mohammad Shahid, former goalie and coach Mir Ranjan Negi, Mumbai-based former medio Rahul Singh, former center-forward Deepak Thakur and the former drag-flicker Jugraj Singh. Pargat and Mir have already tried their hands in LIVE commentary, Shahid, Rahul, Deepak and Jugraj will make their commentary-debut in HIL.
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English experts-panel also boasts of big names and decent speakers. Former coach Cedric D’Souza is already an established name in English hockey broadcast. He is joined by the former goalie AB Subbaih, Asian Games goldie Sandeep Somesh and the poster boy of the Indian team, Viren Rasqinha.
And that’s not all. Hockey is not only about men. There is glamour quotient as well. Former Miss India Universe Simran Kaur Mundi and model Gurpreet Kaur will be seen hosting pre-mid-post match shows and the presentation ceremonies.
So hockey is not just about pass-flick-scoop-drag-penalty, it’s about viewing it in a friendly medium of decent commentary and a good-looking presenter as well!!