Harmanpreet, Hardik eye strong HIL season, prepares for international calendar

Indias leading mens hockey players Harmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh are eyeing good performances in the Hockey India League HIL beginning early next year to finetune their skills and build confidence ahead of a busy international seasonThe Indian team has a busy schedule next year with the FIH Pro League World Cup and the Asian Games in Japan line up one after the otherThe upcoming mens HIL beginning on January 3 will be a stepping stone for players to get into the rhythm for the season aheadIndia captain Harmanpreet who plays for JSW Soorma Hockey Club said the standard of HIL could be compared to international events and it would help players find form quicklyThe HIL comes at the perfect time for all of us in the Indian team said HarmanpreetThe standard across franchises is very high so every game will feel like an international match which is exactly what we want before the Pro League World Cup and Asian GamesHarmanpreet also stressed how the league environment helps senior players and youngsters grow togetherAs captain of the India team and Soorma I see HIL as a chance to build leadership depth and give younger players bigmatch exposure alongside senior names he addedIf we set the tone with our work rate penaltycorner execution and defensive organisation here it will carry directly into our performances for India later in the year The goal is clear have a strong HIL season and then convert that confidence into medals for the countryOlympian and India stalwart Hardik Singh will marshal the midfield for the HIL Governing Council team which has taken over operations from the UP Rudras franchise ahead of the new season to ensure continuity for its playersThis HIL season is massive for me and for our HIL Governing Council team said HardikThe league always offers highintensity highpressure games and that is exactly what is needed before a year packed with big tournaments Our expectation is to play bold attacking hockey build a strong identity as a group and show that this squad can compete with any franchise in the leagueThe midfielder added that that the quality of other participating teams and the tactical variety across franchises will provide crucial preparation for facing top nations later in the yearWeek in week out you face different styles top dragflickers fast forwards and tight defensive units If we can execute our plans here and maintain consistency over the season it will help carry that rhythm into the Pro League World Cup and Asian Games Personally I want to take up more responsibility in both defence and attack and arrive for India duty in peak shapeThe mens HIL features eight franchises Tamil Nadu Dragons Hyderabad Toofans JSW Soorma Hockey Club Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers defending champions Vedanta Kalinga Lancers Ranchi Royals SG Pipers and HIL Governing Council in a single roundrobin format with 23 league matches followed by playoffsThe final is scheduled on January 26 at the Kalinga Stadium in BhubaneswarThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever