Well Played Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers in the HIL Auctions!
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – one the three hockey franchises from the eastern part of the country – in the revived 6th Hockey India League (HIL) appeared to have played its cards exceedingly well in the exciting HIL players’ auction. The Rahul Todi-spearheaded hockey franchise did the most important thing of shoring up their forwardline and snapped up talented and emerging Indian forward Abhishek Nain for Rs 72 lakhs (the second richest player of the auction after Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh).
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People who may not consistently track Indian hockey may see it as a ‘surprise of sorts’ but ask any ardent hockey lover and there is no denying the fact that Abhishek was bough at such a high price tag for many reasons more than one – he is hugely opportunistic inside the opposition ‘D’ and can pierce any defence however crowded it may when on song. His off-the-ball skills are exemplary and he is very good at rushing back to help out the deep defence besides being a good PC injector.
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The fact that Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers had earlier roped in Dronacharya awardee coach Romesh Pathania as its adviser, must have been instrumental in the Bengal franchise bidding for the Sonepat lad. It may be worth recalling that Pathania know Abhishek in and out having coached him for Punjab National Bank.
The icing on the cake for the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers was the purchase of Abhishek’s fellow Indian team-mate and Punjab National Bank forward colleague Sukhjeet Singh for Rs 42 lakhs. The Abhishek-Sukhjeet combo would have in Florent van Aubel – a vastly experienced Belgium forward, who had retired after the 2024 Paris Olympics having made 301 international appearances for the Red Lions. And to top it all, the Bengal franchise also lapped up talented New Zealand striker Sam Lane for Rs 27 lakhs as well as former Indian forward Affan Yousuf for Rs 11.5 lakhs respectively.
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Another smart move is the buying of the Netherlands goalkeeper for Rs 25 lakhs – again like Florent van Aubel, Blaak had retired after the 2024 Paris Olympics having made 154 international appearances for the Oranje brigade. The purchase of drag-flicker Jugraj Singh, who is considered to unleash the drag-flick at the fastest speed among the Indians is a big bonus for the Kolkata franchise. The 48 lakhs buying means the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers reposes immense trust in the abilities of the Punjab lad.
The Tigers would have ‘no shortage of experience’ in their deep defence – Belgium warhorse Gauthier Boccard with 304 international appearances, who was bought for Rs 18 lakhs, would look to man the defence alongside Jugraj . who would have for company in the deep defence retired and seasoned Rupinder Pal Singh, who had featured for Canberra Chill in the 2023 Hockey One ( Australian Hockey League) – he was picked for Rs 12.5 lakhs. They also have a third drag-flicking option in Germany Tom Grambusch (bought for Rs 10 lakhs) – the younger brother of Germany captain Mat Grambusch who surprisingly went unsold. The Bengal outfit would also snapped up Australian midfielder Hayden Beltz – the Tasmanian, who was bought for Rs 13 lakhs, would be expected to form the vital link between the deep defence and the forwardline.
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The Bengal outfit did their homework well on the midfield front buying the Australian and New Zealand duo of Lachlan Sharp and Sean Findlay, who could easily acclerate upfront. All said and done, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers seems to have done their homework to a nicety if the HIL players’ auctions are to go by – with celebrated Australian men’s team coach Colin Batch, backed by Dronacharya awardee coach Romesh Pathania as adviser and Olympian Deepak Thakur in its support staff, it is clear that the collective wisdom of the management, coaches and support team showed up during the auctions.
