Manpreet Singh was grinning ear-to-ear as he collected his runners-up medal from Hockey India (HI) secretary general Bhola Nath Singh at the Kalinga Stadium.
Despite losing the Hockey India League (HIL) final to Vedanta Kalinga Lancers in Bhubaneswar on Monday, the 33-year-old knew he had played his part in not just taking the Ranchi Royals to the summit clash but almost helping the team from the Jharkhand capital to a third title, having won HIL in 2013 and 2015 (as different franchises).
The 33-year-old has been brilliant throughout the month-long tournament, playing the crucial playmaker’s role and winning Player-of-the-Match awards.
However, it has been reliably learnt that despite a stellar show, Manpreet is unlikely to be picked for India’s Pro League campaign that begins on February 11 in Rourkela. The Jalandhar-born is at a pivotal moment in his career. With 411 international caps, he is only one behind the India record of most internationals played, held by HI president Dilip Tirkey.
Manpreet and a couple of other players are likely to be “rested” for the Rourkela (February 11-15 vs Belgium and Argentina) and Hobart legs (February 21-25 vs hosts Australia and Spain) of the Pro League following which the next games are scheduled in June.
That will be followed by the World Cup (August 14-30) and Asian Games (September 19-October 4), which is a qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The question that arises is whether this is the right time to experiment and drop a core player like Manpreet ahead of an extremely important season?
Since his debut in 2011, Manpreet has grown into a critical member of the Indian hockey team, delivering every time he has stepped on to the turf. Over the years, the Khel Ratna awardee has performed every duty that has been asked of him, be that of a midfielder, playmaker, pusher and stopper during a set-piece. When the need arose, he played upfront as well as in defence, manifesting his role as one of the most versatile players in the team.
When it comes to laurels, it was under his captaincy that India returned to the Olympic podium after a gap of 41 years in Tokyo 2021. He guided the team to win a successive Olympic medal in Paris 2024 and was also the first Indian to win the FIH Player of the Year award in 2020.
When it comes to fitness, it is a non-negotiable for him, spending hours in the gym, pumping weight along with arduous cardio that gives him his speed, both with and without the ball, athleticism and vigour that make him stand out, many a time helping India score goals, more than justifying his place in the team.
On paper, the four-time Olympian should make the Indian team on any given day, given his experience, discipline, sharp thinking, peripheral vision, ability to maintain the team’s structure with tempo and the talent to find gaps at rapid pace and in no time.
Fulton understands Manpreet is not dispensable, at least not right now, which is why the South African has fought for the two-time Olympic bronze medallist’s place in the team against those who are against, fully backing Manpreet while talking to the media in Bhubaneswar. “I haven’t seen him move like this for a long time,” Fulton told reporters last week.
“Very few athletes achieve this level of consistency and endurance. Manpreet has been the spine of Indian hockey through its most transformative decade. His fitness, leadership, and composure under pressure set him apart,” Tirkey had himself said in June 2025 when Manpreet completed 400 caps.
If that’s what the HI president thought, what changed in a matter of months as Manpreet stares at an uncertain future?
