FIH Men's Hockey Pro League 2022-23: Five Indian players to watch out for

The Men in Blue will face world champions Germany and fourth-ranked Australia.

India play world champions Germany and a formidable Australian side in the second leg of the FIH Men's Hockey Pro League 2022-23. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side won two matches in the last leg against New Zealand and are currently placed in the fourth spot. Australia on the other hand has lost two games against Spain post the Hockey World Cup in January.

The Kookaburras are placed in the penultimate position and will look to bounce back. Germany will look to start fresh after winning the Hockey World Cup at the same venue. In this article let us discuss the top five Indian athletes to watch out for in the Rourkela leg of the FIH Men's Hockey Pro League 2022-23.

Hardik Singh

The attacking midfielder is back in the squad after missing crucial matches in the Hockey World Cup due to a hamstring injury. He earned the man of the match award in the opening encounter against Spain, scoring a solo goal. Hardik Singh's presence will stabilize the midfield and he also has the tendency to switch to attacking or defensive positions whenever required.

His absence was felt in the last few games at the World Cup, leaving a void. The combination of Manpreet Singh and Hardik Singh will play a vital role in the next four matches.

Karthi Selvam

Karthi Selvam is emerging to be one of the finest talents from Tamil Nadu. He scored five goals in the eight games in 2022. Karthi scored on debut in the opening match against Pakistan at the 2022 Asian Championships.

Graham Reid brought the youngster to the main squad during the first leg of the FIH Men's Hockey Pro League matches. Karthi scored two goals against New Zealand at important junctures to hand India an impressive win. This will be Karthi’s first appearance in the 2023 season.

PR Sreejesh

PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak have put up great performances for India in the past few months. Sreejesh will be without his usual partner Krishan Pathak for the second leg. Instead, he will team up with Pawan as the two goalkeepers in the Indian side.

In the absence of Pathak, Sreejesh will have to shoulder extra responsibilities and lead India from the back. The 36-year-old played a key role in the knockout match against New Zealand in the World Cup but couldn't prevent India from losing the match.

Harmanpreet Singh 

Penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh hasn't started his captaincy career on a positive note. He was India's top goal-scorer in the 2022 season, scoring 35+ goals but couldn't replicate the same form in the World Cup. India had close to ten goal-scoring opportunities from the penalty corner but failed to score a single goal in the first two encounters.

His performance overall was below par which was one of the main reasons for India's poor run in the World Cup. The captain needs to find his mojo and get back to his best, scoring goals and leading the team from the defence.

Abhishek

23-year-old Abhishek had a good World Cup, creating opportunities up front. He has represented India in close to 40 matches scoring 15+ goals. The youngster showed good skills in the attacking section and formed good partnerships with Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh. In the absence of experienced players, he will play a huge role along with Karthi Selvam in the upcoming matches at the pro league.