Rajpal Singh

Rajpal Singh (born 8 August 1983) (Punjabi: ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ) is a former captain of India national hockey team.[1] He plays from the forward (front line) position. He is an Arjuna Award winner. He is a graduate from Chandigarh’s SGGS Khalsa College and a product of Siwalik Public School. Rajpal Singh hogged the limelight with a sterling show at his first international outing at the 2001 Youth Asia Cup. India won the Cup at Ipoh, Malaysia, where he was also ‘Player of the Tournament’, with seven goals in his kitty. Rajpal Singh,was in the news before the home world cup, as he unitedly led his team's fight for its rights with the hockey administrators.

Rajpal Singh
Personal information
Born (1983-08-08) 8 August 1983
Playing position Halfback
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Marienburger SC
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
India 147 (52)
Medal record
Men’s Field Hockey
Representing  India
Commonwealth Games
2010 DelhiTeam
Asia Cup
2007 ChennaiTeam
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
2010 MalaysiaTeam
Champions Challenge
2007 BelgiumTeam
2009 SaltaTeam
Asian Games
2010 GuangzhouTeam

Career

Beginning

Younger son of a retired police, Rajpal represented Chandigarh in Junior Nationals. After the Hobart Junior World Cup gold, he joined Indian Oil Corporation. A long wait for his senior debut ended when, under the tutelage of Rajinder Singh Jr., he travelled to the 2005 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

He succeeded Deepak Thakur at the right wing.

In fall 2007, he played in the German second division (2. Bundesliga) for Marienburger SC, Cologne. In the first round, he scored four times. With Adrian D'Souza, Bimal Lakra and William Xalco, there played four Indians for this club. Rajpal was one of many Indians in 2007 who played in Germany in preparation for the Olympic Games 2008 in China.[2][3][4]

FIH World Cup

He became captain of national team after replacing Sandeep Singh just before the FIH world cup 2010 in New Delhi but India finished 8th.[5]

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

Under the captaincy of Rajpal, the Indian team regained their title as they emerged joint winners along with Korea in a rain-affected final at the 19th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. In one of the group matches, the Indian team defeated the Australian team 4–3.

Commonwealth Games

Under his captaincy, the Indian team entered into semifinal of Commonwealth Games, Delhi after defeating Pakistan by 7-4.[6] It persuaded against the England in the semifinals to be the first team to make sure of a medal for India in CWG Hockey history. But the final was a washout with India going down 8-0 against the mighty Australia.[7]

Asian Hockey Champions Trophy

He captained the Indian team to the inaugural 2011 Asian Men's Hockey Champions Trophy, which India won by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.[8]

But Rajpal was removed as the captain on 30 September and was replaced by goalkeeper Bharat Chhetri. It is believed that his demotion was imminent as he had led the team's revolt against the federation for giving meager rewards after the Champion's Trophy triumph.

Premier Hockey League

Rajpal leads hugely popular Chandigarh Dynamos in the PHL.

Rajpal, a PPS officer is currently serving in the Punjab Police as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Personal life

He married Indian shooter Avneet Sidhu in 2013, and the couple have one child.[9]

World Series Hockey

Rajpal leads the Delhi Wizards in the WSH 2012.

Awards

In 2011, Rajpal received the prestigious Arjuna Award for excellence in the field of hockey.

References
  1. "Rajpal replaces Sandeep as hockey captain". 13 November 2009.
  2. "Marienburger SC hockey.de".
  3. "Rajpal Singh hockey.de".
  4. "Kulturaustausch im Hockeysport youtube.com".
  5. "International Hockey Federation: Results Archive". Archived from the original on 17 September 2010.
  6. "CWG: India beats Pakistan by 7-4 in Men's hockey quarter final match". Sify. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  7. "Oz Bring India Hockey Back to Earth". The Wall Street Journal. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  8. "India wins Asia Hockey championship". The Wall Street Journal. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  9. Times of India, 15 September 2011.
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