Times have indeed improved for Indian hockey. A lot of interest is being generated in the country after Indian team’s good performances in the last six months.

One thing that has helped to improve the way hockey is seen and telecast in the country is the Premier Hockey League, the fourth edition of which begins in Chandigarh from December 20. Thanks to the innovative and creative thinking by the broadcasters and the Indian Hockey Federation, the event has found favour with the public.

Apart from the glamour bit, the real use of the PHL has been in throwing up new and young talent. Fresh blood is raring to go in the colours of his home city. A youngster is keen on performing in what has become one of the top domestic tournaments. There are numerous domestic tournaments in the country. Some of them like the Beighton Cup, Bombay Gold Cup are very old and prestigious tournaments, but they do not generate much interest. Most importantly, the usefulness of the tournaments is in question since they just happen and nothing much comes out of them. Even the National championship for the Rangaswamy Cup is losing its sheen.

Exciting affair

The last edition of the PHL in Chennai and Chandigarh was a two-month affair. Though a bit too long, it was still exciting and plenty of new names shone during the course of the event. Bruno Hadrian Logun, Damandeep Singh, Roshan Minz, Diwakar Ram were some of the names made it to the National team or at least the senior camps. This only bodes well for India. The country has struggled to find quality replacements in case any of the players in the main team are out due to injury or other reasons. In the recent past, the National camps have been filled with many players who are capable and fit. This is probably the most important outcome of the PHL.

More than just being a nursery for new talent, the PHL has become a haven for innovation. The use of a third umpire or the one-to-one contest between the scorer and the goalkeeper instead of the traditional push for a penalty stroke are fascinating.
During last year’s first final between eventual champions Orissa Steelers and Sher-e-Jallandhar, the sudden death went on for more than 40 minutes. Jallandhar won that every-second thriller 7-6.

Touch of glamour
The third umpire system has been adopted in world events conducted by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). So, it shows the whole affair of the PHL is being taken seriously.

The foreign players add a touch of glamour to the event and it is good for the Indians since they get to play with and against world-class players. However, due to the proximity with other major international events, the foreign players this time are not as good as the ones who came last time.

“The PHL comprises of the best of players. The international flavour is there. It helps our players to test their talent against foreign skill,” said Indian chief coach Joaquim Carvalho. “There will be a lot of youngsters in the PHL this time too. They will understand the pressures of playing top teams and in a big-tournament atmosphere. Playing against good opposition will help them sharpen their match skills. They can rectify their mistakes too.

“The innovations like the time-outs and use of third umpires is a good idea. With time-outs, the coaches have time to work on strategy. So, the whole concept is good,” Carvalho felt.

There are indeed many positives of the PHL. Most importantly, it has succeeded in promoting players and the game has also found some new talent. It would only help Indian hockey if this event is used for further development of the game.