JOIN USSome of the top Australian players have been roped in for the Hockey India League.
Kookaburras captain Jamie Dwyer will be joined by Mark Knowles, Fergus Kavanagh, Liam de Young and Edward Ockenden among others in the Players Auction to be held next month.
Luke Dorner, Russell Ford, Kiel Brown, Simon Orchard, Christopher Ciriello and Rob Hammond will also feature in the auction.
“The presence of a number of Australian stars would add to the quality of the league,” said Hockey India secretary-general and league chairman Narinder Batra.
The six-team HI League will be held from January 5- February 3, 2013. The Australians will be joined by 150 Indians and 15 Pakistanis who have already signed up for the Players' Auction.
Knowles, 28, is one of the best defenders in the world and has played close to 200 international games. He was part of the Olympic winning team at Athens in 2004 and the Champions Trophy in Chennai in 2005.
He also played a crucial role in Australian’s World Cup and the Commonwealth Games triumphs in Delhi in 2010.
Doerner is a lethal drag-flick specialist with 112 goals to his name.
Kavanagh is an experienced defender with more than 150 international appearances. He too was a a key member of Australia's successful campaigns in World Cup and Commonwealth Games in Delhi besides Champions Trophy winning squads in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
With nearly 300 caps, the 31-year-old de Young is among the world's most seasoned all-rounders who can play anywhere on the pitch and move with great speed.
The 25-year-old Ockenden was adjudged FIH Young Player of Year in 2008.