New Indian Express: HIL-top View: Foreigners in Demand Among Teams

NEW DELHI: They may have got a League of their own, but it seems India’s hockey players will still need some more time to get into the league of the crorepatis. At a time, when even fringe cricketers and footballers are earning big bucks, none of India’s hockey players could enter the crorepati club in this installment of the Hockey India League (HIL) auctions.

On Thursday, as the players went under the hammer, the franchises took calculative steps while roping in Indians. The message was loud and clear—to get the best of the lot at a cheaper price. Even though, youngster Akashdeep Singh was bought by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for $84,000 (`5,559,096.49), Indian captain Sardar Singh brought on board by Punjab Warriors at a far lesser price of $58,000 (`3,837,293.78).

Despite donning India caps for long, the hockey players seem to have failed to impress the franchises. While they were not hesitant to pay a huge $105,000 to German Moritz Fuerste, the franchise owners continued to shy away from spending more on the son of the soils. Resultantly, seniors like Rupinder Pal Singh could only fetch $68,000, thus scripting another gloomy chapter for Indian hockey.

Forget about the Indian Premier League (IPL), where even an over-the-hill Yuvraj Singh was purchased for `16 crores last year. But even a rookie footballer like Eugenson Lyngdoh fetched `1.05 crore in the Indian Super League. The hockey stars can only think of sticking around in the `35-50 lakh bracket.

In spite of having a strong fan base and huge popularity, what makes the Sardars and Rupinders take the backseat? “In the last few leagues, the Indian players have failed to make much of an impact. That’s why, the focus is more on the foreigners,” one of the franchise executives told Express.

In the last season too, Belgium forward Tom Boon was bought by the Dabang Mumbai for a whopping $103,000. But in the end, Boon didn’t play a single match and Mumbai struggled in the league.

Despite such experiences, the franchises still prefer the foreigners over Indians, mainly because of their pace, attacking style and fitness. Sardar, however, isn’t ready to think much about it. “Maybe the franchises want to go by the big names. But their real challenge will be on the turf,” Sardar warns.