Hockey Pocus

EVER heard of hockey hooligans? We haven8217;t either, but the day is perhaps not far off when you8217;ll see warpainted Maratha Warriors ...

EVER heard of hockey hooligans? We haven8217;t either, but the day is perhaps not far off when you8217;ll see warpainted Maratha Warriors supporters face up8212;in the best traditions of a ManU-Arsenal dogfight8212;with fierce Chennai Veerans fans.

Premier Hockey League PHL is here. It8217;s a bold move that promises to revolutionise the national game, bringing American football-style glam and, hopefully, English footie-style mania to a sport that has always skulked in the shadow of cricket.

With city-centric teams, designer uniforms, TV-friendly game innovations and celeb supporters, PHL 8216;8216;will transform Indian domestic hockey into a sporting spectacle,8217;8217; predicts RC Venkatesh, managing director, ESPN Software India.

8216;8216;Hockey has been consigned to the sidelines for a long time. This concept is creative, new, and has huge potential to bring back crowds to the game,8217;8217; says Maratha Warriors captain Viren Rasquinha.

His counterpart at Bangalore Hi-Fliers, Arjun Halappa, is cautiously optimistic. 8216;8216;It is a good idea, but give it some time. Rome wasn8217;t built in a day. But the basics are sound and viable,8217;8217; he says.

And perhaps, for the first time ever in Indian hockey, a proposal has found supporters across the board. From the most vehement critics of the sport8217;s mishandling8212;mainly former players rueing the decline of the game8212;to the Gen Next of Indian hockey on the verge of stardom, to federation officials themselves, the PHL has generated excitement amongst everyone. 8216;8216;This is the beginning of a journey, and this effort will go a long way in popularising and developing talent,8217;8217; said IHF president KPS Gill.Cricket may still be India8217;s religion, but PHL aims to work a few miracles of its own.

THEY8217;RE PHL, BUT THEY DON8217;T PLAY HOCKEY

THE MONEY GAME
32.5 lakh The cost of having 15 foreign players. Includes four-star accommodation for a month and fees
2.5 lakh Appearance fee for Sohail Abbas
62 lakh Amount spent on local players, including three-star accommodation and fees
1 lakh Appearance fees for the top 11 Indian players
71 lakh Prize money. Including Rs 30 lakh for winners and Rs 15 lakh for runners-up
10 crore Production costs at Rs 50 lakh conservative estimates per day for 20 match days

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The PHL is at the centre of an unprecedented PR campaign that draws on people8212;mainly sportsmen and entertainers8212;who have nothing to do with hockey
8226; Aparna Chandra designed the uniforms for the five Tier-I teams to bring colour. Incidentally, Ritu Beri designed the jerseys for the national team that went to Athens
8226; Sonu Nigam sang the theme song Anthem for PHL, while Sandesh Shandilya Road, Chameli composed the music
8226; The Deols8212;Sunny, Bobby and Abhay8212;are the official Maratha Warriors supporters.

Q: Wouldn8217;t they rather back Jalandhar?

A: Perhaps, but sadda munda Bhajji has been picked to back Sher-e-Jalandhar, while Sachin Tendulkar is the cricketer supporting the Marathas. Others from the cricket world changing pitches: Wasim Akram, Harsha Bhogle backing Hyderabad, what else and Ravi Shastri Bangalore

8226; The fortune teller in the promo is Madhuri Bhatia, a character actress best known for her role in Pardes. Or maybe for her role in daily soap Kahiin Toh Hoga

IF EPL WERE PHL8230;
Ruud van Nistelrooy would be8230;
GAGAN AJIT SINGH
Unmatched inside the shooting circle like the Dutchman Nistelrooy has scored all 100-plus goals for Man United from inside the box, Singh combines star power with an uncanny knack of knowing which area the keeper has left uncovered.

Arjen Robben would be8230;
PRABHJOT SINGH
Not everyone8217;s favourite but recognisable on-field for two things: His flaming red bandanna not like Robben and his swift, winding, mazy runs down the flanks, followed by the ball being fed in Robben redux. Could have been a sprinter, but will settle for Wonder Winger.

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Steven Gerrard would be8230;
JUAN PABLO ESCARRE
Gerrard controls the game with his tackling, passing and off-the-ball runs. In hockey, no one does that better than Escarre, the Spanish captain, who is one of the key reasons for his country8217;s rise and rise in the sport.

John Terry would be8230;
DILIP TIRKEY
Terry is the rock in the heart of a mean, tight Chelsea defense, and the spirited captain of the team. We prefer to call India skipper Tirkey 8216;The Wall8217;, but every other trait is similar. Cool, unfazed, dependable.

Petr Cech would be8230;
ADRIAN D8217;SOUZA
Both are recently created stars. Cech hit the headlines at Euro 2004 and now is making them at Chelsea. D8217;Souza first made waves as a stop-gap keeper at the Olympics but has since made the place his. USP: He8217;s the guy who8217;s managed to blunt Sohail Abbas8217;s dreaded drag-flicks.

Thierry Henry would be8230;
SOHAIL ABBAS
For two reasons. One, sheer star power. Two, goal-scoring phenomenon. The case rests.

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A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME
Things they haven8217;t done yet in downtown Jalandhar

8226; Each match is broken into four quarters of 17.5 minutes each, with American-style timeouts and commercial breaks
8226; Extra time is of two halves of 2.5 minutes each; each team loses two players in every half of extra time, so by the end it8217;s 7-a-side hockey
8226; Like in Twenty20 cricket, the time-outs and strategy planning by the teams will be on live mics and broadcast
8226; City-centric names Chennai Veerans, Maratha Warriors to build up public participation
8226; Fan squads and cheerleaders to bring in the colour and why haven8217;t they done that yet in downtown Jalandhar?