FIH Hockey World Cup: Players to watch out for ahead of showpiece event, in pics

A galaxy of hockey stars have reached Odisha, for the mega hockey extravaganza, the most prestigious tournament of the yearFor the first time, the FIH Men’s World Cup will be hosted by a nation twice in a row as the 2018 edition was hosted in Bhubaneswar with Belgium beating the NetherlandsHere’s a look at some of the players to watch out for at the mega eventPR Sreejesh, the veteran Indian goalkeeper, has played a crucial role in India’s performance. He was also adjudged FIH Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022. Harmanpreet Singh is touted as a vital cog in Indian hockey’s resurgence in recent years. The penalty corner specialist’s powerful flicks, along with his world-class defence have earned Harmanpreet plenty of recognitionAkashdeep Singh is India’s goal-scoring machine. He has over 80 international goals under his belt. He will be the most experienced forward in the Indian lineup Vivek Sagar Prasad has been at the forefront of the team at different stages. The midfielder was a part of the senior squad that won the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020Eddie Ockenden (Australia) was part of the bronze-winning Australian team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Ockenden not just helped out the midfielders and forwards in creating goal-scoring opportunities but also scored 72 international goals.Alexander Hendrickx played a crucial role in taking Belgium to the country’s first-ever Olympic title in hockey at Tokyo 2020. He scored 14 goals and finished the campaign as the tournament’s top scorer.Mats Grambusch has played a total of 161 matches and scored 51 goals. Grambusch will be featured in his third World Cup. He also won Olympic bronze in RioThierry Brinkman (Netherlands) has 140 caps to his name. He has scored 55 goals so far for the Dutch side. Brinkman was also named in the 2018 World Cup squad and had featured in every match.