Rupinder Pal Singh


Rupinder Pal Singh is a professional field hockey player, who currently represents India in the Indian Hockey Team. He plays as a fullback and is known for his abilities as one of the best drag flickers in the world. He represented India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, 2014 Asian Games at Incheon, 2016 Olympic Games held at Rio de Janeiro, and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, held at Gold Coast, Australia.

Early life

Rupinder Pal Singh was born in a Sikh family in Faridkot, Punjab, India. The six- plus-footer, is the youngest of the family, who took up hockey at the age of eleven. He is related to international hockey player, Gagan Ajit Singh. His interest in hockey got a boost when got selected for the Chandigarh Hockey Academy.

Career

Singh's international debut was in May 2010 in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh. His side went on to win the 2010 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. The following year, Rupinder scored his first international Hat-trick against Great Britain in the 2011 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. In the same tournament, Singh won the Top-scorer Award and was named in the Sultan Azlan Shah XI Team. At the 2014 Men's Hockey World Cup, Rupinder was named as the team's Vice-captain.

Hockey India League

Rupinder was bought by the Delhi franchise for a hefty sum. The Delhi team was named Delhi Waveriders. During an interview, Rupinder was quoted saying "“I was surprised when the Delhi side picked me up for such a huge amount, but the tournament gave me a good platform to hone my skills, spending time with players like Sardar Singh and Nicolas Jacobi made me improve my game a lot and it showed in my performance, Even though we lost to Ranchi in the final,the team had a good run in the tournament". He proved his worth scoring seven goals for the team,which finished second in the league. In the Second season, Rupinder's side won the 2014 Hockey India League, with Singh scoring 7 goals. Rupinder was declared the Player of the Tournament at the 2016 Hockey India League, and due to his significant contributions, Delhi Waveriders went on to secure the 3rd position at the HIL that year. In 2017, he captained the Delhi Waveriders, taking the team to the semi-final stage.

Career achievements