NEW DELHI: Two-edition old Premier Hockey League (PHL) has promised Rs. 1 crore to the Indian National team if it wins the World Cup in Germany.

The cash reward will come India's way thanks to PHL promoters, the ESPN Star Sports, Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Leisure Sports Management, who decided to give a boost to the team's confidence ahead of its opening match against Germany on September 6.

A runner-up finish will make the hockey team richer by Rs. 50 lakhs, while a bronze medal assures it Rs. 25 lakhs. This was announced here on Friday by the IHF President, K.P.S. Gill, and ESPN Star Sports' Managing Director, R.C. Venkatesh.

Video analyst

The PHL, which introduced third umpire in hockey, will also sponsor a video analyst for a period of one year to help the Indian team in its international campaign. "The video analyst has already joined the Indian team, which takes on Japan in its last warm-up match ahead of the World Cup," said Gill. The cost of medical rehabilitation of the injured drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, a product of the PHL, will also be borne by the league.

Sandeep Singh's replacement, however, remained undecided, though just five days remain for the start of the World Cup. Though Bikramjeet Singh and Jugraj Singh played against Belgium, coach V. Baskaran wanted the third drag-flick expert, Raghunath, to get some match practice before making a final decision.

"Coach's call will be final in selecting one from the three drag-flick experts," said the IHF Secretary General, K. Jothikumaran. Raghunath was part of the South Asian Games team, which lost to Pakistan in the final in Colombo. Raghunath joined the team only on Thursday and will be fielded against Japan on Saturday.

Speaking about India's prospects, Gill said that all would depend on how the team performs against Germany. "First match will be an indicator of things to come. If we win against Germany, then there are good chances of India making it to the semifinals," he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail