The Maratha Warriors team that will be heading for Chennai to compete in Season Three of the Premier Hockey League beginning on January 4 will have a new manager in Air-Indias Peter Saldanha.
Saldanha ironically replaces his namesake, Indian Navys Peter Ekka.
In fact, Saldanha was originally offered the post of managing the Warriors, for the third edition of Indias only professional hockey league, a couple of months ago.
But thereafter he had spoken out against Indian Hockey Federation chief KPS Gill, alleging that while on one hand the IHF allowed players of teams like Indian Airlines to leave the national camp in Rourkela and play domestic fixtures for their club, on the other Air-India players were being held back deliberately.
Due to this, Saldanha was later told by Bombay Hockey Association Hon Secretary Kehar Singh, that he wasnt being considered for the post.
But now as Peter Ekka will be away for a Services tournament in Patna, we have asked Saldanha to manage the team for the Chennai leg of the league (January 4 to February 4), Kehar Singh told MiD DAY late last night.
Ekka will return for the Chandigarh leg of the tournament (February 11 to March 5) Maratha Wariors squad: Goalkeepers: Adrian DSouza (IA), Gurpreet Singh (AI); Full backs: Anurag Raghuvanshi (ONGC), Kuldeep Singh (WR), Ajmer Singh (AI); Halves: Gurbaj Singh (AI), Dhananjay Mahadik (Army XI), Viren Rasquinha (IOCL), Gaurav Tokhi (AI), Conroy Remedious (Mumbai Customs); Forwards: Gurvinder Singh Chandi (AI), Hemant Gethe (Mumbai Customs), Stanley Fernandes (Mumbai Customs), Bharat Kumar (IOCL), Shivendra Singh (WR); Officials: Chief Coach Mukul Pandey (Mumbai Customs), Asst Coach PL Murugappan (Navy), Manager (Chennai leg) Peter Saldanha (AI), Manager (Chandigarh leg) Peter James Ekka (Navy), Trainer Ramesh Pillay (RCF).
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