The Indian women's hockey team left the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for Argentina on Sunday. This will be the first round of the national team in almost a year. India Hockey Company also selected the 25-member Indian Hockey Team for the tour. The Indian team is scheduled to play two games against Argentina (Junior) on January 17 and 19, two games against Argentina B on January 22 and 24, and four matches against Argentina on January 26, 28, 30, and 31. Indian hockey and the host national league have created a biological bubble in Argentina for both the Argentina women's team and the Indian women's team. The Indian women hockey team will be staying in a hotel where separate team rooms have been provided for all meals, team meetings, sessions, etc.“It feels great to be on the road again. We have worked hard on our game for the past few months and it is time to put our skills to live in an international match. Playing in international matches will be a bit different at this point.” Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal said in at Statement: "We will be in a biological bubble, and the team is excited to return to the field in the best possible way at this time."The entire Indian group underwent a Covid-19 RT-PCR test 72 hours before leaving New Delhi. Although there are no quarantine requirements upon arrival in Argentina, the team will continue to comply with all health and safety measures recommended by the governments of India and Argentina, according to Hockey India in an official statement.The deputy captain and goalkeeper of the Indian women's hockey team, Savita, thanked Hockey India and SAI for organizing the tour of Argentina.We desperately need to return to a competitive situation where there is not much time left for the Olympics. We have been doing well in the training sessions, but the international match is always the real test for any athlete. Therefore, we would like to thank Savita: “India Hockey and SAI for their efforts. In organizing a tour for us. We are looking forward to a great game and we hope to start playing with all our energy from the first match. "The 25-member Indian Women's Hockey squad: Rani (Captain), Savita (Vice-Captain), Rajani Etimarpu, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Rashmita Minz, Manpreet Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Monika, Nikki Pradhan, Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Jyoti, Udita, Rajwinder Kaur, Salima Tete, Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lilima Minz, Neha Goyal, Namita Toppo, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi.Also Read: THE 47TH FIH STATUTORY CONGRESS WILL HAPPEN IN DELHI
Talismanic raider Pardeep Narwal smashed an all-time record by becoming the highest-ever bought kabaddi player in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), after being bought by the UP Yoddha for Rs 1.65 crore. UP Yoddha bought Narwal on Monday, the second day of the PKL auction for the upcoming season, which will take place in December. Pardeep continues to rewrite the history books, as his price tag is now crushing that of another star raider Monu Goyal, who was bought by the Haryana Steelers for 1.51 crore in season six, stated a media release issued by the PKL late Monday night. Meanwhile, Siddharth Desai was retained by Telugu Titans via Final Bid Match (FBM) card for Rs 1.30 crore of his base price of Rs 30 lakh. More than 22 overseas players were sold out on the second day. All-rounder Muhammedreza Shadloui Chiyaneh base price 10 lakh was sold to Patna Pirates for 31 lakhs, while defender Abuzar Muhajir Megani was bought by the Warriors of Bengal bidding for him 30.5 lakh rupees from the base price of 20 lakhs. The Patna Pirates used their FBM card to retain South Korean raider Jang Kun Lee at Rs 20.5 lakh. After spending six seasons with the Telugu Titans and one season with the Tamil Thalivas, Rahul Chaudhary will now play for the Puneri Paltans. The Jaipur Pink Panthers used FBM cards to support Captain Deepak Niwas Hooda and Sandeep Kumar Dhull. Tamil Thalaivas bid for raider Manjeet his base price of Rs 30 lakh and bought it for Rs 92 lakh. Meanwhile, All-rounder Rohit Julia has drawn attention after being sold to Haryana Steelers for Rs 83 lakh, a huge jump from his price tag of Rs 25 lakh with the Gujarat Giants in season 7.Kabaddi is such an elementary game in terms of infrastructure required, that I have no doubt that once we get our act together, the explosion of kabaddi internationally is just waiting to happen, Charu Sharma, co-founder of Mashal Sports, was quoted as saying in the release.Pardeep Narwal to #UPYoddha (1.65 Cr)Siddharth Desai to #TeluguTitans (1.30 Cr)Manjeet to #TamilThalaivas (92L)Sachin to #PatnaPirates (84L)Rohit Gulia to #HaryanaSteelers (83L)What do you make of the top buys at the #vivoPKLPlayerAuction?#NayaPangaNayaJosh pic.twitter.com/SRlxyo17zu— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 30, 2021Also Read- US Open 2021: Naomi Osaka kicks off title defence with straight sets win over Marie Bouzkova
