Hockey
Men's HIL Auctions 2024: Five overseas players who can spark a bidding war
Here are the foreign players who can take the teams on a spending spree at the Hockey India League auctions.
With the return of the Hockey India League, the excitement of having foreign stars to play in the country is increasing.
Before the Hockey India League was folded last time, the likes of Mortiz Furste, Glenn Turner, Teun de Noojier, Jamie Dwyer, and Ashley Jackson enthralled the Indian fans in four seasons.
The new format of HIL will have eight teams and a total of 64 openings for foreign players means that teams will go hard for the renowned names.
A total of 168 foreign players from 12 countries have registered for the player's auction. Big names include Ollie Payne, Jeremy Dwayer, Alexander Hendricx, Tom Boon, Blake Govers, and Nick Bandurak among others.
The Bridge picks five foreigners who can spark a bidding war among the franchises in the next two days:
#1 Gonzalo Peillat- Germany
The drag flick maestro has been on a fine run in the past two years winning the World Cup with Germany in 2023 and silver medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
One of the best drag flickers in the world, Peillat is an experienced campaigner who has previously featured in the Hockey India League for Kaling Lancers (2014) and Uttar Pradesh Wizards (2015-17).
Currently plying his trade for Germany, Peillat won the gold medal at the Olympics in 2016 with Argentina before switching allegiances with his current nation.
He is expected to attract huge bids for his goal-scoring prowess and experience in the backline.
#2 Mats Grambsuch- Germany
The World Cup-winning captain of Germany Mats Grambsuch is one of the finest midfielder in the world at the moment.
Apart from being an intelligent carrier of the ball, Grambsuch is a regular goalscorer scoring 110 goals in 211 caps for Germany. Mats has experience playing in three Olympics and led Germany to the World Cup in 2023 and the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Mat will be a valuable addition to any team given his skills and will make for a brilliant leadership option.
#3 Blake Govers- Australia
One of the fiercest goal scorers in field hockey, Blake Govers boasts of 239 goals in 167 appearances for Australia and is known to torment defence of opponents.
The Australian is expected to be a hot commodity and can get the highest bid purely for his goal-scoring returns but another incentive to take Govers into the team is his interest in coaching.
Govers coaches young female athletes at the Southern River Hockey Club back home and having him in the team will lead to young Indian players getting to learn from the best.
#4 Alexander Hendricx- Belgium
Alexander Hendricx took the Tokyo Olympics by storm with his powerful drag flicks scoring 14 goals to become the top-scorer in Belgium's gold medal-winning campaign.
Earlier in 2018, then-25-year-old Hendricx finished the 2018 World Cup as a joint top-scorer along with Blake. His goal-scoring exploits led Belgium to the World title.
Hendricx has developed into a formidable penalty corner force and is an equally competent defender to cover the tracks.
#5 Jip Janssen- Netherlands
The youngest on the list, the 26-year-old Jip Janssen was one of the vital cogs when the Dutch men's hockey team won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics scoring five goals in the tournament.
Known for his exceptional drag-flicking skills, Janssen is a brilliant central defender who possesses good tactical acumen and solid positioning sense.
Janssen is expected to spark a bidding war between the eight teams.
Honourable mentions: Tom Boon (Belgium), Nick Bandurak (England), Pirmin Blaak (Netherlands), Thierry Brinkman (Belgium).