Ranchi, Oct. 25: Indian cricket’s reigning star is shining his light on hockey, adopting his home team for the honour of its practitioners and the glory of the game.
So, the rhino’s horn is being replaced by the sun’s rays with Mahendra Singh Dhoni deciding to take over Ranchi Rhinos and putting his seal on the 2015 Hockey India League (HIL), a high-octane tournament conceptualised on the lines of cricket’s Indian Premier League.
Rechristened Ranchi Rays, the team’s proud owner is now Dhoni, the first cricketer to own a hockey outfit.
“Ranchi, or for that matter, Jharkhand had been a breeding ground for iconic players. I hope my formal association with hockey will help this game grow much stronger than ever now,” said the Indian captain, who also owns Chennaiyan FC, a football team in the ongoing Indian Super League.
“It’s a special day for me. The reason being I am now associated with hockey, our national game, and a team which will represent my hometown. I also want to thank Sahara Adventure Sports Limited (co-owner) for backing me in this initiative. I hope to have a great time on a different turf now,” said Mahi, who is now on vacation with his family at his Harmu residence, at a ceremony to announce the new team’s name in Ranchi today.
The fate of the Ranchi team in HIL had been hanging in the balance after the owners of Ranchi Rhinos announced to pull out of the league in September owing to financial loses and differences with Hockey India.
Owned by Patel-Uniexcel group, Ranchi Rhinos had a good show at the league, emerging champions in the first edition in 2013 while finishing third this year.
Amid apprehensions about the team’s future, Hockey India approached Dhoni a few months back and he “couldn’t just refuse the offer”. “As I said, this city and state has had a great history of hockey. The game comes naturally to people here, all that is needed is some proper guidance and coaching,” he said.
So, how does he plan to promote the game besides just owning a team?
“The whole idea about buying a team is to take this sport back to the grassroots. We will try to engage local talents with holistic ways of training and grooming by bringing in experts round the year. I also plan to set up an academy in the future,” said the cricket star.
On the new team’s composition, Mahi said that negotiations were on with Hockey India to see if they could retain old players of Ranchi Rhinos.
“It is because, the team did well in the last two seasons and has developed a great rapport with the local crowd here,” he said.
“Local recipe is always important. So we will try to provide as much chance as possible to local talents but at the same time, we also have to keep the competition factor in mind. Let’s see how we can go ahead from here,” he added.
But given his busy schedule and also next year’s World Cup, how much time can he devote to Ranchi Rays?
“My first responsibility is to play for India. But whatever time I will get, I will devote it to my other team,” he said.
Sports other than cricket have always been a victim of neglect and apathy. So, does he think that with celebrities buying teams in different leagues, the other forms of sports are getting the much-needed boost?
“According to me, people do want to watch games other than just cricket. Birth of kabaddi league, soccer league and hockey league is testimony to this fact. The trend will only grow in the times to come. Biggest beneficiaries will be the players,” he signed off.
The first edition of HIL had five teams — Ranchi Rhinos, Delhi Waveriders, Punjab Warriors, Mumbai Magicians and Uttar Pradesh Wizards. Second edition saw one more franchise, Kalinga Lancers, taking the total team count to six.
