Hyderabad Sultans

The Hyderabad Sultans was the Indian Premier Hockey League team from Hyderabad.^{[citation needed]} The squad was captained by Sardara Singh in the 2008 edition. They were winners of the first Premier Hockey League in 2005.^[2]

The club was formed in year 2005. Sultans, led by ever-dependable Dilip Tirkey, were crowned the champions of the inaugural PHL at home ground,^[2] held at the sprawling Gachibowli Sports Complex, with penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas and Waseem Ahmad who helped the team score crucial wins with their combined moves in the first year. Sohail Abbas became the joint top-scorers of the league.^[3][4]

In the second year too, Hyderabad Sultans played well and were in contention for the final berth, but were edged out by Bangalore Lions on goal average. They won five out of the eight matches and had 13 points, just one less than the table toppers Chandigarh Dynamos and Hyderabad Sultans finished third in league.^[5] In the third year, Hyderabad Sultans failed miserably, winning just one match in the new format. They also lost their skipper Dilip Tirkey and many experienced players who joined Orissa Steelers, as they were promoted to the Premier division. Sultans ended at the bottom of the table, avoiding relegation as Second division was scrapped.^[6]

In the season of 2008 young Sardara Singh led the team, along with his brother Didar Singh, Bikas Toppo and Pawal Lakra, who were capable of making inroads into any defence. The team had an emerging drag-flicker in Diwakar Ram. The players to watch out were upcoming Promod Kumar, who was the fulcrum of the team, the foreign players Adnan Maqsood and Kamran Ahmed, along with Dutch goalkeeper Oscar Ter Weeme. The team also had a new coach in Madhukaran who was assisted by Alphonse Lazarus and they finished fourth, qualifying for play-off where they lost to Chandigarh Dynamos.^[7][8][9]

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As of 2008^[10]

Note: List of players is obtained from PHL website. The list might change in the near future.

Personnel

•   Madhukaran (Chief coach)
•   Alphonse Lazarus (Asst. coach)
•   C R Bheem Singh (Physical trainer)
•   P.Kanthaiah (Team manager)

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• Premier Hockey League: 1
  • 2005^[2]