{"id":41172,"date":"2025-09-24T02:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T02:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=41172"},"modified":"2025-09-24T02:00:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T02:00:04","slug":"sg-pipers-eye-balanced-squad-as-hil-auction-looms-says-director-of-hockey-sreejesh-pr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=41172","title":{"rendered":"SG Pipers eye balanced squad as HIL auction looms, says Director of Hockey Sreejesh PR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-41171\" src=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers.jpg\" alt=\"SG Pipers\" width=\"850\" height=\"550\" style=\"display: block; margin: 8px auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers.jpg 1036w, https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers-1024x662.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers-696x450.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/>New Delhi:<\/strong> With the Hockey India League (HIL) Season 2 auctions on the horizon, SG Pipers have outlined a clear strategy focused on building a balanced squad. Director of Hockey, Sreejesh PR, said the team is approaching the auctions with a structured plan, combining retained talent with carefully chosen new signings to strengthen both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s sides.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking with measured optimism, Sreejesh highlighted how new recruits Jake Draper and Sharmila Devi will fit into the Pipers\u2019 system. \u201cSharmila can run with the ball. She can create opportunities for the forward line, from where most of her goals come. Draper can be an added strength to our defensive structure. In our team, we do have a very good line of Indian defence. We needed a foreign player who could control the game from the middle. Draper is a free defender, and Sharmila is more into attack,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>The roadmap for the auctions, he said, is centred around acquiring players who can change the course of matches. \u201cGame changers are the ones we are focusing on. In the men\u2019s team, we retained the majority of our players. We need game changers for tomorrow\u2019s auction. In the women\u2019s team we have 12 players. The 8 are going to be really crucial. The main focus is going to be a defender who can flick and a forward who can score,\u201d Sreejesh added.<\/p>\n<p>While player selection is a headline act, the coaching set-up is also bringing a renewed dynamic to the franchise. \u201cWhen the coaches join us, they will have a clear picture of how we want to execute our plans this season. According to their plan, we are planning our auction strategy. It is not me individually making decisions about the players; it is about the coaches and their preferences. As an administrator, it is my role to provide the best players to my coaches so that they can play a hassle-free tournament,\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the auction and tactical nuances, Sreejesh underlined the broader role of the HIL in shaping Indian hockey. For him, the league is more than a competition \u2013 it is a breeding ground for the future. \u201cFor the youngsters, this is the right platform to learn. It is a nursery for the youngsters. They are rubbing shoulders with the senior-most players. They are playing alongside them, training with them, dining with them. Every situation, every minute, there is something to learn. When you play with foreign players, they give you a different perspective. That is really important. I think this is a great platform for the youngsters to raise their level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in September, SG Pipers confirmed their coaching appointments: Dutchman Tim Oudenaller will take charge of the men\u2019s team, while Belgian coach Sofie Gierts will lead the women\u2019s unit. Both will work in tandem with Sreejesh to ensure the squad strikes the right balance between reliable performers and explosive match-winners.<\/p>\n<p>As the auction day approaches, SG Pipers appear clear-eyed and purposeful \u2013 chasing not just a squad, but a formula that could turn them into one of the teams to beat in Season 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Delhi: With the Hockey India League (HIL) Season 2 auctions on the horizon, SG Pipers have outlined a clear strategy focused on building a balanced squad. Director of Hockey, Sreejesh PR, said the team is approaching the auctions with a structured plan, combining retained talent with carefully chosen new signings to strengthen both the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hockey-hockey"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SG Pipers eye balanced squad as HIL auction looms, says Director of Hockey Sreejesh PR - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News &amp; Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis &amp; Other Sports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=41172\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SG Pipers eye balanced squad as HIL auction looms, says Director of Hockey Sreejesh PR - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News &amp; Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis &amp; Other Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New Delhi: With the Hockey India League (HIL) Season 2 auctions on the horizon, SG Pipers have outlined a clear strategy focused on building a balanced squad. Director of Hockey, Sreejesh PR, said the team is approaching the auctions with a structured plan, combining retained talent with carefully chosen new signings to strengthen both the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=41172\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News &amp; Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis &amp; Other Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T02:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SG_Pipers.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1036\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"670\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b8f51f3c66686ab3518464e9b8368646\"},\"headline\":\"SG Pipers eye balanced squad as HIL auction looms, says Director of Hockey Sreejesh PR\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-24T02:00:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172\"},\"wordCount\":535,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/SG_Pipers.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Hockey\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/indiansportsnews.co.in\\\/?p=41172\",\"name\":\"SG Pipers eye balanced squad as HIL auction looms, says Director of Hockey Sreejesh PR - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News &amp; 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