Shardul.....the lion
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Ace drag-flicker Sohail Abbas and 13 other Pakistani players will feature in next months player auction for the Hockey India League (HIL) after the national body received a go-ahead from the government, it was announced on Sunday.
The inaugural edition of the HIL will take place from January 5 to February 3 next year. Around 80 foreign players are expected to be a part of the auction along with approximately 100 Indians. Twenty eight Indian players have already signed up for the league.
Rated among the worlds best drag-flick exponents, Abbas is the most prolific scorer in the games history with 349 goals. He was the captain of the Pakistan squad that finished seventh in the London Olympic Games earlier this year. Apart from the 19-year-old forward Ali Shan, the other 13 players were in Pakistans London Olympics squad.
We are delighted that the cream of Pakistans Olympics squad has made itself available to play in the league, HI secretary general Narendra Batra said. To have these players on board further adds value to the tournament. We have signed up more top-class foreign players. The announcement will be made soon, added Batra, who is also the chairman of the HIL.
Batras counterpart from the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Muhammad Asif Bajwa, said he was happy that the 14 players would be part of the auction. Our players are excited to be among those considered for the league, Bajwa said. We are sure that the event will be a huge success, drawing the best talent from around the world.
The HI have selected 12 cities that have proper facilities to host the tournament and would zero in on six of them. Each team will have a spending cap of Rs3 crore and they can take a maximum of 24 players. The HIL is seen to be a response to the World Hockey Series, which was launched by the rival Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sports last year. The WSH, however, does not have the sanction of FIH.
Pakistan stars line up for HIL - Sport - DNA
The inaugural edition of the HIL will take place from January 5 to February 3 next year. Around 80 foreign players are expected to be a part of the auction along with approximately 100 Indians. Twenty eight Indian players have already signed up for the league.
Rated among the worlds best drag-flick exponents, Abbas is the most prolific scorer in the games history with 349 goals. He was the captain of the Pakistan squad that finished seventh in the London Olympic Games earlier this year. Apart from the 19-year-old forward Ali Shan, the other 13 players were in Pakistans London Olympics squad.
We are delighted that the cream of Pakistans Olympics squad has made itself available to play in the league, HI secretary general Narendra Batra said. To have these players on board further adds value to the tournament. We have signed up more top-class foreign players. The announcement will be made soon, added Batra, who is also the chairman of the HIL.
Batras counterpart from the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Muhammad Asif Bajwa, said he was happy that the 14 players would be part of the auction. Our players are excited to be among those considered for the league, Bajwa said. We are sure that the event will be a huge success, drawing the best talent from around the world.
The HI have selected 12 cities that have proper facilities to host the tournament and would zero in on six of them. Each team will have a spending cap of Rs3 crore and they can take a maximum of 24 players. The HIL is seen to be a response to the World Hockey Series, which was launched by the rival Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sports last year. The WSH, however, does not have the sanction of FIH.
Pakistan stars line up for HIL - Sport - DNA
