The Tribune: Germans take the cake at hockey auction

By Sabi Hussain
Tribune News Service
Posted at: Sep 18 2015 5:19PM

Ups and downs apart, the Indian hockey today seemed to realise its worth out in the auction house: national team skipper Sardar Singh, bought by Punjab Warriors, fell much short of others, at $58,000, at Hockey India League (HIL) auction. The six franchises chose to splurge heavily on foreign recruits, especially the Germans, with Moritz Fuerste drawing the highest ever bid ($105,000 or Rs 69,46, 289).

The star was Punjab striker Akashdeep Singh, who remained the biggest earner among the Indians, taking home $84,000 offered by UP Wizards.

With the new goal-scoring rule in place in next year’s HIL, where one field goal will count as two, strikers were high in demand. But it was never expected that Sardar will draw such a less price. Young and less experienced Indian players like Nikkin Thimmaiah, defender Gurmail Singh and striker Mandeep Singh raked in bigger money. Other Indians, who generated interest among franchises, were drag-flicker Sandeep Singh ($81,000 by Ranchi Rays) and forward Gurwinder Singh Chandi ($75,000 by Punjab Warriors).

Most franchises opted for foreign players as they looked to strengthen their defence and attacking base in the wake of rule changes by the organisers. Fuerste was snapped up by Kalinga Lancers, while his country mate Florian Fuchs and Tobias Hauke were picked for $96,000 by Dabang Mumbai and Wizards, respectively. The 23-year-old Fuchs is regarded as one of the sport’s most lethal strikers.

It was known before the start of the auction that veteran Indian players would find it hard to match the price they commanded in the inaugural edition. The franchisees look to stack up their teams with young foreign players, especially from Germany, Australia and The Netherlands.