Young sensations Sunelita, Sangita headline Delhi SG Pipers’ strong squad for Women’s Hockey India League

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: Delhi SG Pipers have built a strong squad for the upcoming Women’s Hockey India League with acquisitions of several young stars, including Sunelita Toppo, Sangita Kumari and Bichu Devi Kharibam, during the player auction in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Owned by SG Sports, Media & Entertainment (SGSE), part of the APL Apollo Group, the Delhi-based franchise focused on giving opportunities to young talent in the country to help them grow into top-class players.

Delhi SG Pipers bought several talented youngsters in Sunelita (Rs 24 lakh), Sangita (Rs 22 lakh), Bichu (Rs 16 lakh), Deepika (Rs 20 lakh) and Mumtaz Khan (Rs 10 lakh) as the franchise focussed on building a team with a long-term vision in mind.  The team comprises eight junior players, with six of them being particularly young, having ample time to develop their skills over the next three years.

Sunelita, already a part of the national team is only 17 years old, and is poised to make a major impact on the international stage. Another promising talent Ishika has already gained experience by participating in national team training sessions.

Delhi SG Pipers Women’s Team Head Coach Dave Smolenaars said, “We got a lot of the players that we wanted and built a young team, strong Indian players with experienced foreign players so they can learn and we can really build into the future. Our auction strategy was flexible and being quick to decide what to go for and that worked out well. It should be a tough league with well-matched teams as it provides the Indian players with the strong competition they need.”

“We hope to win more than we lose but let’s see how that goes. We’re going to have some good battles on the pitch. India and the world will see that women’s hockey is really fun to watch and nice to be part of that. So, just happy to see that the teams are on paper even and that will give us good competition,” added the head coach.

Experienced Indian player Navneet Kaur (Rs 19 lakh) and foreign stars Giselle Anne Ansley of England (Rs 5 lakh), Netherland’s Xan Gerdien de Waard (Rs 10 lakh) and Belgium’s Emma Puvrez (Rs 10 lakh) will also showcase their skills for the team’s upcoming tournament, which will feature a total of four teams in the inaugural season, with two additional teams to be introduced in the tournament’s second season. The experienced players will also guide the youngsters and bridge between the coaching staff and the players.

“We’re a big backer of women’s sports. It has been an exciting day for women’s hockey, so many girls got picked at such interesting prices and we’re looking forward to the league starting and hopefully, this will grow from strength to strength. We’ve got a pretty strong coaching staff, so we came in with a purpose here and we really want to build a proper franchise. We’ve got eight girls under 21, so we’re thinking long term,” commented Mahesh Bhupathi, CEO of SG Sports, Media and Entertainment.

The Hockey India League 2024-25 will be held at the two venues Rourkela (for men) and Ranchi (for women) from 28 December 2024 to 1 February 2025.

Delhi SG Pipers squad (Women’s Team):

• Goalkeepers: Bichu Devi Kharibam (IND) (Rs 16 lakh), Elodie Picard (BEL) (Rs 10 lakh), Bansari Solanki (IND) (Rs 3 lakh)
• Defenders: Emma Puvrez (BEL) (Rs 10 lakh), Jyoti Singh (IND) (Rs 2 lakh), Stephanie De Groof (BEL) (Rs 5 lakh), Giselle Anne Ansley (ENG) (Rs 5 lakh), Miri Maroney (AUS) (Rs 2 lakh), Elizabeth Ann Neal (ENG) (Rs 2 lakh)
• Midfielders: Manisha Chauhan (IND) (Rs 12.5 lakh), Xan Gerdien De Waard (NED) (Rs 10 lakh), Khaidem Shileima Chanu (IND) (Rs 2.5 lakh), Manisha (IND) (Rs 3.7 lakh), Manashri Shedge (IND) (Rs 2 lakh)
• Forwards: Sunelita Toppo (IND) (Rs 24 lakh), Sangita Kumari (IND) (Rs 22 lakh), Navneet Kaur (IND) (Rs 19 lakh), Deepika (IND) (Rs 20 lakh), Mumtaz Khan (IND) (Rs 10 lakh), Ishika (IND) (Rs 5.4 lakh), Geeta Yadav (IND) (Rs 2 lakh), Charlotte Watson (SCO) (Rs 2 lakh), Preeti Dubey (IND) (Rs 6.7 lakh), Himanshi Sharad Gawande (IND) (Rs 2.1 lakh)

About SG Sports, Media & Entertainment:

SG Sports – Media – Entertainment proudly owns and manages sports teams across an array of established and emerging sports in India. With a dynamic approach, our portfolio of teams spans across Chess, Tennis, Table Tennis, Padel, Basketball and popular mass sports like Cricket, Football and Hockey.

We’re all about the spirit of the sports, from the players on the field to the millions of fans cheering from the sidelines.