The 70th Gurdwara Cup which was held in Ipoh, Perak last year, ended up with Johor and Kuala Lumpur as joint champions, as the match was called off due to inclement weather.

In this upcoming competition, Singapore will be up against Joint-defending Champion Johor as well as Penang in group A while the other group will feature Joint-defending Champion Kuala Lumpur together with Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. The lions will look to redeem themselves as they target for nothing less than a final spot in this tournament.

Coach Bakri’s squad selection was tougher this time around as the team consisted of players playing in the FBT Men’s Hockey League One. 13 of these players selected are representatives of Singapore Khalsa Association (SKA), all of whom were champions in the second division last year before being promoted to the first division, where they are currently exposed to the highest intensity of the sport domestically by playing against the top teams in Singapore.

New additions Balraj Singh, who is a current Under-21 Singapore National Player will join his compatriots, Jasmeet Singh and Ishwarpal Singh, from Old Rafflesians Association (ORA) who have been winning all the games in the domestic league so far. A familiar face, Prem Singh, from Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) will lead the team out as our skipper once again. Jaspreet Singh, who is currently playing for top tier side Melbourne Sikhs United in Australia will also be part of this formidable squad.

Captain Prem was approached by Vavel Singapore to give an insight on his team’s preparation as well as targets for the upcoming Gurdwara Cup competition.

Targets for this upcoming tournament

“We will take it game by game.  Our team knows our objectives and what is expected of them. This team is better experienced now and I am confident everyone will give their very best for Singapore. In terms of preparation, everyone has done their part and put in the hard yards. Now it is for us to play a brand of hockey suited to the overall team and making the best of each players' strengths”

Difference between this team compared to the previous team

“This current Singapore team is more experienced and we have good players back like Ishwarpal, Jasmeet, Ishwarinder, Harminder, Balraj, Manminder and Patvinder to compliment the players from last year. Last year's team had lots of desire, fighting spirit and great discipline on and off the pitch. The aim is to take both of last year's team's characteristic and personality together with the experience of this year’s squad to achieve the desired team objective. I personally feel each player in this Singapore team has the maturity, willingness and the camaraderie to do this”

On facing joint-defending champions Johor in the first match

“The past is the past. This is a new game, new tournament. We must be focused, confident and intelligent in each game during the warm ups, from the first whistle to the final whistle. To all those supporting team Singapore, may your support and blessings help us achieve our target. Thank you”

 

Group A: Johor, Singapore, Penang

Group B: Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor

 

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