Star-less World Series Hockey from today

Deepankar Sharda

In a virtual snub to the World Series Hockey (WSH) that begins from tomorrow, star players from the Olympic qualifiers have decided to miss the first edition of the tournament. The opening match between Chandigarh Comets and Bhopal Badshah, to be held tomorrow at the hockey stadium, sector 42, will witness no names from the team that caught the nation’s attention, due to the ongoing tiff between HI (Hockey India) and IHF (Indian Hockey Federation), which is backing the event.

Elaborating on the situation, Harendra Singh and V Bhaskaran, coaches of Chandigarh Comets and Bhopal Badshahs, respectively, revealed that there had not been any sort of a positive response from these players and there was very little, if any, chance of them turning up for their respective franchisees in the WSH.

“This is not a good gesture for the promotion of hockey. You can’t stop anyone from playing. Why are these players are being stopped? They are mature enough to take decisions and they should understand that no one can steal their performances on field.” said Bhaskaran.

Adding further, Bhaskaran said, “We have not received any positive response. The senior players should come and participate in the tournament not only to promote the game but to inspire the young generation. The authorities should not spoil the game just for keeping themselves embroiled in a tussle over power to run the game.”

On other hand, Harendra Singh, the coach of Chandigarh Comets also confirmed the non-participation of their main players in the tournament. “We do not know what is happening in the capital. We are here to play the game and we will do it. My only duty is to guide the team and rest, I don’t want to comment on the politics part. The show must go on and hope it will become the best platform for the players, who want to make a name for themselves in the sport” said Harendra.

On issue of captaincy he added “We have decided that the captain of team will be made on rotational basis, so that there will be no conflict over it”.