In a happening news for all the hockey fans of India, an exhibition match is set to be played between the sides of India’s greatest ever defender Dileep Tirkey squaring-off against India’s greatest ever forward Dhanraj Pillay to mark the inauguration of the newly-refurbished Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on October 10. Kalinga stadium will also host the upcoming hockey world cup from November 28, 2018. Also read: Top 5 greatest Hockey players from India.
Ace drag flickers like VR Raghunath and Sandeep Singh will be the star attraction of the match alongside retired players like Sardar Singh and Viren Rasquinha.
The bunch of current Indian players teaming alongside the veterans of the game will make this match worth watching.
“Odisha Government is breathing new life into hockey and I thank them for such initiatives. This is a landmark event in Indian hockey – an exhibition match with legends of the game and Team India,” said Dhanraj Pillay who was associated with HIL side Uttar Pradesh Wizards as a technical director.
“I do hope that we are able to entertain the capacity crowd that will be at the Kalinga Stadium along with every hockey fan sitting at home and watching us,” he added.
Local man Dileep Tirkey said that the match will portray the glory of the state and Kalinga stadium.
“There is no better way to portray the glory of Odisha and Kalinga Stadium than getting the past and present of hockey together by the way of this iconic match. I am really excited about the face off against Dhanraj and team,” said Tirkey who was associated with HIL team Kalinga lancers.
Teams
Team Dhanraj Pillay: Dhanraj Pillay (Captain), PR Sreejesh (GK), Viren Rasquinha, Sardar Singh, Prabhjyot Singh, Sandeep Singh, Varun Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Kothajit Singh , Jarmanpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Simranjeet Singh, Hardik Singh, S V Sunil, Gurjant Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Pradeep Singh; Coach: Harendra Singh.
Team Dilip Tirkey: Dilip Tirkey (Captain), Krishan Bahadur Pathak (GK), Ignance Tirkey, VR Raghunath, Deepak Thakur, Manpreet Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Rupinder Pal Singh, Suraj Karkera, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sumit Kumar; Coach: Chris Ciriello
