Pune Strykers

2012 season

Pune Strykers suffered a major setback when they lost their captain Diwakar Ram due to injury just before the commencement of the tournament.^[5] Pune Strykers started their campaign with a victory over Mumbai Marines in a see-saw battle at Mahindra Hockey Stadium in Mumbai by 7–5.^[6] They continued with a victory over Delhi Wizards, but drew next three matches. Their undefeated run came to an end when they lost to Chandigarh Comets 3–1.^[7] They defeated table-toppers Sher-e-Punjab and Bhopal Badshahs in their final two matches. A defeat of Chennai Cheetahs by Mumbai Marines gave them their semi-final berth.

Finishing fourth on the table, they faced Chandigarh Comets in the semi-final.^[8] Down by 4–1, they struck thrice in the final 10 minutes to extend the match into the penalty shoot-out, which they won by 3–2 and entered the final to face Sher-e-Punjab.^[9] They were defeated and hence ended up at number 2 position.^[10]

Pune Strykers staged some of the brilliant comebacks in WSH 2012 and were often referred to as Masters of Comeback, the first of which came against Mumbai Marines in their opening match. They won by 7–5 despite trailing 5–3. They managed to draw with Sher-e-Punjab (3–3 from 3–1). In a must win situation, they lagged behind Bhopal Badshahs by 4 goals to 1 but ended up winning by 5–4. The greatest of all comebacks came in the semi-final against the Comets where Strykers trailed for the majority of the regulation time, but made a dramatic comeback, winning 3–2 in a penalty shoot-out.^[9]

Ownership

Sai Grace Sports and Events Private Limited (SGSEPL) was the owner of the Pune franchise. The director of SGSEPL, Manoj Choudhary, is the promoter of Jewel Products, one of India’s leading corporate companies.^[11]

Team anthem

Pune Strykers anthem was sung by Shankar Mahadevan.^{[citation needed]} The lyrics are written by Mahesh Sutar and the music is composed by Nishadh Chandra.^{[citation needed]} The Universal Music Group was the music partner of the team.^{[citation needed]}

Sponsors

The team was partnered by Gold's Gym for fitness and Café Coffee Day for on-ground hospitality. Radio City was their official radio partner.^[12]

Administration

• Owner - Manoj Choudhary (Sai Grace Sports & Events Pvt. Ltd.)
• CEO - Jagdeep Nanjappa
• Manager - Mervyn Fernandis
• Trainer - Simon Pachal
• Video analyst - K. R. Singh
• Physio - Meetu Mangalvedkar
• Coach - Gundeep Singh
• Assistant coach - Rahul Singh^[12]

2012

Goals for	47 (2.94 per match)
Goals against	51 (3.19 per match)
Most goals	Gurpreet Singh (12 goals) Overall position: 4th

Hat-tricks

More information No., Player ...

No.	Player	Opposition	Result	Season	Venue	Report
1	Gurpreet Singh4	Mumbai Marines	7 – 5	2012	Mumbai – Mahindra Hockey Stadium	1 March 2012
2	Simrandeep Singh Randhawa	Bhopal Badshahs	5 – 4	2012	Bhopal – Aishbagh Stadium	29 March 2012

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⁴ Player scored 4 goals