Hardik is the beating heart of UP Rudras: Cedric D'Souza

The strong 24-member squad consists of 16 Indian players, including a mandatory four juniors (U-21), and eight overseas players. The team acquired international stars like Lars Balk in the back, Floris Wortelboer and Seve van Ass in the midfield amongst others.

Reflecting on the squad, Thomas Tichelman, co-coach added, "I am absolutely thrilled with the way the auctions unfolded for us. These two days have been remarkable in terms of team building not only for us but everyone around. All the other teams have carefully picked up their combination and the competition only get better from here. We have a perfect blend of young and experienced Indian players as well as international players. It will be a great opportunity for the players to learn from each other's experiences and bring their best foot forward. While this is just the first step in the journey, UP Rudras are ready, and there couldn't be a better excitement to begin with."

The Dutch Olympic gold medalist trio - Balk, Seve and Wortelboer were members of the winning team at the Paris Games this year. Meanwhile, the Indian stalwarts include Hardik Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Simranjit Singh all three with the Olympic bronze medals.

Expressing delight and explaining how HIL was a great opportunity for youngsters, Cedric D'Souza, technical director, said, "We have Hardik in the centre, the beating heart of the team, and some great talented Indian players to combine. I think the most important thing is the team chemistry and the staff chemistry. You've got to find the balance between how you as a team gel right through. The other thing is we talk about leaders not only in hockey because they've got to lead from the front but hopefully become better leaders for their country. Speaking about youngsters, I think playing with the best players in the world works as a great motivation. The most important thing is that these youngsters are really benefiting tremendously and what an opportunity and exposure it is for them."

Owned by Yadu Sports, the Lucknow-based franchise, UP Rudras also bagged experienced Belgian forward Tanguy Cosyns, solid Spanish defender Marc Recasens and the Indian midfield duo of Akashdeep Singh and 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Simranjeet Singh. the competitive squad also includes the talented 18-year-old Indian midfielder Manmeet Singh and Great Britain goalkeeper James Mazarelo.

Speaking about the revamped league, Madhavkrishna Singhania, cofounder of Yadu Sports, said, "It is a proud moment for us as a country that the Hockey India League is back in its new avatar. It is a great opportunity for players to showcase their talent. We bagged two bronzes in the last two Olympics, and we

have this huge pool of bench strength, and we can strive for gold looking forward. Looking at the composition of our own franchise, I am happy with it."

UP Rudras squad: Hardik Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Floris Wortelboer (Netherlands), Seve van Ass (Netherlands), Manmeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Alvaro Iglesias (Spain), Tanguy Cosyns (Belgium), Gurjot Singh, Mohd Zaid Khan, Sudeep Chirmako, Lars Balk (Netherlands), Kane Russell (New Zealand), Surender Kumar, Marc Recasens (Spain), Priyobarta Talem, Sunil Jojo, Prashant Kumar Chauhan, James Mazarelo (GB), Pankaj Kumar Rajak, Prashant Barla, Shardanand Tiwari and Jobanpreet Singh. (ANI)