Who was the Pakistani international playing for the Hyderabad Sultans in last season’s Premier Hockey League? And which team came second?Few, even among hockey buffs, would know the answers (given below) and that sums up the problem the Indian Hockey Federation and its channel partners, ESPN, are faced with as they prepare for the second season of PHL. Because though last season’s matches drew spectators and attracted TV audiences, the tournament was forgotten almost as soon as the hooter blew.Some of the problems seem to have been addressed this time around. For one, says ESPN’s RC Venkateish, the promotional campaign will be launched well in advance — within the next fortnight — of the PHL itself, which begins in early January.‘‘The PHL was a new concept last year and was introduced for the first time but this year we are advancing the marketing to make people remember the League after it’s over.’’To this end, the channel plans to invest around 20-25 percent more this year in marketing. ‘‘We don’t usually give out figures but we have planned a high-decibel ad campaign this year’’, Venkateish said.Another complaint last season was the absence of any team from the Orissa tribal region, an area that has produced India’s current captain, among others. This year, Rourkela Steelers make their debut in Tier II of the league.It’s a reflection of the game’s popularity in the region, said IHF chief KPS Gill. ‘‘The PHL also had an impact in places like Tripura, Assam and other north-eastern states where the game is played’’, he said.If last year saw time-outs and four-quarter matches, this year’s edition — supervised, once again, by Spain coach Maurits Hendricks — sees a couple of other changes:• A third umpire system, similar to what happens in cricket• A best-of-three finals, instead of a one-off• Given the chilly conditions likely in Chandigarh, the matches will be played in the early evening instead of late-nightThere will also be more foreign players this time around. ‘‘Last year the foreign players were mostly from Pakistan, though we had two from Malaysia and one from Spain. This year the idea is to have more but equal representation in all the various teams from different countries’’, Gill said.Some progress has been made, it seems, but much more work needs to be done if next year this time anyone is to remember PHL trivia.• Sohail Abbas played for Hyderabad Sultans, and they beat Sher-e-Jallandhar in the final.
