Pune Strykers

Pune Strykers
Full namePune Strykers
Nickname(s)The Strikers
Founded2011
Home groundPCMC Hockey Stadium, Pune
(Capacity 5,000)
OwnerSai Grace Sports & Events Pvt. Ltd.
CoachGundeep Singh
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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]

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

2012 season

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

Ownership

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

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

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

  • Owner - Manoj Choudhary (Sai Grace Sports & Events Pvt. Ltd.)
  • CEO - Jagdeep Nanjappa
  • Manager - Mervyn Fernandis
  • Trainer - Simon Pachal
  • Video analyst - K. R. Singh
  • Physio - Meetu Mangalvedkar
  • Coach - Gundeep Singh
  • Assistant coach - Rahul Singh[12]

Team composition

[13]

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

[14] [15]

Fixtures and results

2012

Goals for 47 (2.94 per match)
Goals against 51 (3.19 per match)
Most goals India 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

Performance summary
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%
Performance details
Goals for 47 (2.94 per match)
Goals against 51 (3.19 per match)
Most goals India Gurpreet Singh (12)
Position: 4th
Performance by oppositions
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

No. Player Opposition Result Season Venue Report
1 India Gurpreet Singh4 Mumbai Marines 7 – 5 2012 MumbaiMahindra Hockey Stadium 1 March 2012
2 India Simrandeep Singh Randhawa Bhopal Badshahs 5 – 4 2012 BhopalAishbagh Stadium 29 March 2012
4 Player scored 4 goals

References

  1. ^ "WSH unveils Pune franchise, names it Pune Strykers". Indian Express. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Pune Strykers". The Fans of Hockey. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Sher-E-Punjab crowned WSH champions". ESPN. 3 April 2012. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Top Scorers". World Series Hockey. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Gupreet stars for Pune Strykers in a rousing start in Bridgestone WSH". The Times of India. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Gupreet stars for Pune Strykers in a rousing start in Bridgestone WSH". The Fans of Hockey. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Comets shine bright, eclipses Strykers 3-1". The Fans of Hockey. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Pune Strykers hope to shoot down Chandigarh Comets". The Times of India. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Masters of comebacks produce yet another miracle". The Fans of Hockey. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Sher-e-Punjab: The Champions of 1st Bridgestone World Series Hockey". The Fans of Hockey. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ a b "Pune Strykers Profile". Pune Strykers. 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Pune Strykers". World Series Hockey. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  14. ^ "Pune Strykers". World Series Hockey. 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  15. ^ "PCMC Hockey Stadium". World Series Hockey. 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
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