Pune Strykers (abbreviated as PS) was an Indian professional field hockey team based in Pune, Maharashtra that played in the World Series Hockey. The team was owned by Sai Grace Sports & Events Private Limited.[1] PCMC Hockey Stadium in Pune is the home ground of Pune Strykers.[2]
 | |||
| Full name | Pune Strykers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Strikers | ||
| Founded | 2011 | ||
| Home ground | PCMC Hockey Stadium, Pune (Capacity 5,000) | ||
| Owner | Sai Grace Sports & Events Pvt. Ltd. | ||
| Coach | Gundeep Singh | ||
| |||
Pune Strykers ended up as the runner-up of the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey. They lost to Sher-e-Punjab by 5 goals to 2 in the final.[3] Team's penalty corner expert Gurpreet Singh was their top-scorer with 12 goals.[4]
History edit
2012 season edit
Pune Strykers suffered a major setback when they lost their captain Diwakar Ram due to injury just before the commencement of the tournament.[5] Pune Strykers started their campaign with a victory over Mumbai Marines in a see-saw battle at Mahindra Hockey Stadium in Mumbai by 7–5.[6] They continued with a victory over Delhi Wizards, but drew next three matches. Their undefeated run came to an end when they lost to Chandigarh Comets 3–1.[7] They defeated table-toppers Sher-e-Punjab and Bhopal Badshahs in their final two matches. A defeat of Chennai Cheetahs by Mumbai Marines gave them their semi-final berth.
Finishing fourth on the table, they faced Chandigarh Comets in the semi-final.[8] Down by 4–1, they struck thrice in the final 10 minutes to extend the match into the penalty shoot-out, which they won by 3–2 and entered the final to face Sher-e-Punjab.[9] They were defeated and hence ended up at number 2 position.[10]
Pune Strykers staged some of the brilliant comebacks in WSH 2012 and were often referred to as Masters of Comeback, the first of which came against Mumbai Marines in their opening match. They won by 7–5 despite of trailing by 5–3. They managed to draw with Sher-e-Punjab (3–3 from 3–1). In a must win situation, they lagged behind Bhopal Badshahs by 4 goals to 1 but ended up winning by 5–4. The greatest of all comebacks came in the semi-final against the Comets where Strykers trailed for the majority of the regulation time, but made a dramatic comeback, winning 3–2 in penalty shoot-out.[9]
Franchise details edit
Ownership edit
Sai Grace Sports and Events Private Limited (SGSEPL) was the owner of the Pune franchise. The director of SGSEPL, Manoj Choudhary, is the promoter of Jewel Products, one of India’s leading corporate companies.[11]
Team anthem edit
Pune Strykers anthem was sung by Shankar Mahadevan.[citation needed] The lyrics are written by Mahesh Sutar and the music is composed by Nishadh Chandra.[citation needed] The Universal Music Group was the music partner of the team.[citation needed]
Sponsors edit
The team was partnered by Gold's Gym for fitness and Café Coffee Day for on-ground hospitality. Radio City was their official radio partner.[12]
Administration edit
Team composition edit
| Player | Nationality | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||
| Gurpreet Singh Guri |  India
|
16 | - |
| Sunny Samuel | India
|
11 | - |
| Strikers | |||
| Alden D’Souza | India
|
7 | |
| Amol Baban Bhosale | India
|
||
| Bikash Toppo | India
|
16 | 5 |
| Birendra Lakra Sr. | India
|
16 | 1 |
| Damandeep Singh | India
|
16 | 3 |
| Gurvinder Singh Chandi | India
|
||
| Kangujam Chinglensana Singh | India
|
||
| Mario Almada |  Argentina
|
16 | 6 |
| Nikkin Thimmaiah C. A. | India
|
14 | 4 |
| Poonacha M. G. | India
|
||
| Roshan Minz | India
|
16 | 3 |
| Midfielders | |||
| Alvin Alexander | India
|
||
| Amardeep Ekka | India
|
3 | |
| Amit Gowda | India
|
16 | |
| Lungile Tsolekile |  South Africa
|
16 | 1 |
| Rajwinder Singh | India
|
7 | |
| Tyron Pereira | India
|
16 | 2 |
| Varinderjit Singh | India
|
7 | |
| Vikas Pillay | India
|
12 | 2 |
| Vikram Ramkaval Yadav | India
|
11 | 1 |
| Defenders | |||
| Diwakar Ram | India
|
||
| Gurpreet Singh | India
|
16 | 12 |
| Ken Pereira (captain) |  Canada
|
16 | |
| Kuldip Singh | India
|
7 | |
| Simrandeep Singh Randhawa | India
|
15 | 7 |
| Sunil Yadav | India
|
9 | |
| Vinod Gopi Nair | India
|
9 | |
Fixtures and results edit
2012 edit
| Goals for | 47 (2.94 per match) |
| Goals against | 51 (3.19 per match) |
| Most goals | Gurpreet Singh (12 goals) Overall position: 4th |
| No. | Date | Score | Opponent | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 March | 7 - 5 | Mumbai Marines | Mumbai | Match 3 |
| 2 | 3 March | 3 - 1 | Delhi Wizards | Delhi | Match 8 |
| 3 | 4 March | 3 - 3 | Sher-e-Punjab | Jalandhar | Match 9 |
| 4 | 7 March | 1 - 1 | Bhopal Badshahs | Pune | Match 16 |
| 5 | 9 March | 3 - 3 | Chennai Cheetahs | Chennai | Match 19 |
| 6 | 11 March | 1 - 3 | Chandigarh Comets | Pune | Match 23 |
| 7 | 12 March | 3 - 2 | Karnataka Lions | Pune | Match 25 |
| 8 | 15 March | 1 - 3 | Chennai Cheetahs | Pune | Match 29 |
| 9 | 19 March | 3 - 4 | Chandigarh Comets | Chandigarh | Match 35 |
| 10 | 21 March | 2 - 3 | Karnataka Lions | Bangalore | Match 40 |
| 11 | 23 March | 4 - 2 | Mumbai Marines | Pune | Match 41 |
| 12 | 26 March | 2 - 6 | Delhi Wizards | Pune | Match 48 |
| 13 | 27 March | 3 - 2 | Sher-e-Punjab | Pune | Match 49 |
| 14 | 29 March | 5 - 4 | Bhopal Badshahs | Bhopal | Match 54 |
| 15 | 1 April | 3 - 2 (PS) 4 - 4 (FT) |
Chandigarh Comets | Mumbai | Semi-final 2 |
| 16 | 2 April | 2 - 5 | Sher-e-Punjab | Mumbai | Final |
| Position in league phase: 4th Runners-up | |||||
Statistics edit
| Season | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 43.75% |
| Home | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 42.86% |
| Away | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 44.44% |
| Overall | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 43.75% |
| Goals for | 47 (2.94 per match) |
| Goals against | 51 (3.19 per match) |
| Most goals | Gurpreet Singh (12) Position: 4th |
| Opposition | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhopal Badshahs | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 50.00% |
| Chandigarh Comets | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 33.33% |
| Chennai Cheetahs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0.00% |
| Delhi Wizards | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 50.00% |
| Karnataka Lions | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 50.00% |
| Mumbai Marines | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 100.00% |
| Sher-e-Punjab | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 33.33% |
Hat-tricks edit
| No. | Player | Opposition | Result | Season | Venue | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gurpreet Singh4
|
Mumbai Marines | 7 – 5 | 2012 | Mumbai – Mahindra Hockey Stadium | 1 March 2012 |
| 2 | Simrandeep Singh Randhawa
|
Bhopal Badshahs | 5 – 4 | 2012 | Bhopal – Aishbagh Stadium | 29 March 2012 |
- 4 Player scored 4 goals
References edit
- ^ "WSH unveils Pune franchise, names it Pune Strykers". Indian Express. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ "Pune Strykers". The Fans of Hockey. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Sher-E-Punjab crowned WSH champions". ESPN. 3 April 2012. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ "Top Scorers". World Series Hockey. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Gupreet stars for Pune Strykers in a rousing start in Bridgestone WSH". The Times of India. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Gupreet stars for Pune Strykers in a rousing start in Bridgestone WSH". The Fans of Hockey. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Comets shine bright, eclipses Strykers 3-1". The Fans of Hockey. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Pune Strykers hope to shoot down Chandigarh Comets". The Times of India. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Masters of comebacks produce yet another miracle". The Fans of Hockey. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Sher-e-Punjab: The Champions of 1st Bridgestone World Series Hockey". The Fans of Hockey. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "WSH unveils Pune franchise, names it Pune Strykers". The Times of India. 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Pune Strykers Profile". Pune Strykers. 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ "Pune Strykers". World Series Hockey. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
- ^ "Pune Strykers". World Series Hockey. 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ "PCMC Hockey Stadium". World Series Hockey. 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.