Kuala Lumpur make return after a two-year absence

KUALA LUMPUR: Former champions Kuala Lumpur will make a return to the Razak Cup hockey tournament after a two-year lapse.

The tournament will be held in Kuantan from Oct 26-Nov 4.

KL, the 16-time champions, will feature in Division Two. They skipped the tournament for the last two years following the Malaysia Hockey Federation’s decision to change the eligibility rules to allow players to play for their home states.

Seasoned campaigner: Maninderjit Singh is one of the former internationals in the KL team.

“We have decided to make a comeback for the good of hockey,” said KL Hockey Association (KLHA) secretary V. Rajamanickam.

“We are in the process of rebuilding the team. We will have a squad of youth and experience for the tournament.”

He added that they would be banking on former internationals like defenders Mohd Amin Rahim and Maninderjit Singh and forwards Mohd Fairuz Ramli and M. Kaliswaran to lead the team.

“We also have the services of three national juniors – Mohd Razie (Abdul Rahim), Nabil Fiqri (Mohd Noor) and Hafifi Hafiz. The other players will be from the Sapura team who featured in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) and Setapak High School players,” said Rajamanickam, adding that they would only start their training next week.