The Hindu: HIL auction: Sardar, Rupinder to go under hammer

Present for the auctions will be FIH CEO, Kelly Fairweather as the new regulations get the backing of the International Hockey Federation.

India captain Sardar Singh and drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh will be the star attractions during the Hockey India League auction in New Delhi on Thursday as the franchisees look to complete their respective squad for the next two editions of the lucrative tournament.

Sardar and Rupinder will be among 135 Indians who will be up for grabs. The HIL Auction 2015 will also witness 137 foreign players, including Jamie Dwyer, Nicolas Jacobi, Andrew Hayward, Kieran Govers and Lucas Rey from across the globe going under the hammer.

Present for the auctions will be FIH CEO, Kelly Fairweather as the new regulations get the backing of the International Hockey Federation.

Besides him, each team’s representatives include the owners along with the key think squad and coaches, who will be seen working on the combinations and ensuring that they bag the best players suited to complete their squad.

Going by the new regulations, franchisees can build a team of 20 players, which allows each franchisee to have 12 Indian players and 8 foreign players in their respective team.

Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, chairman of Hockey India League and president of Hockey India, said, “It will be an exciting moment to see the franchises targeting the finest players to ensure a successful bidding session. What will play a key role is the new regulations introduced just a couple of days back.

“If one field goal results in two goals, so I think the strategy will be to have the best strikers in the team. So I am sure there will be last moment thinking in terms of targeting the best possible players for each ones team.”