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09 August 2015, New Delhi: After completing two successive years in the Hockey India League (HIL), the Kalinga Lancers will start the third HIL campaign with their key players who have been with the team since the first match. The Bhubaneswar-based franchisee has retained young Indian players – Lalit Upadhyay (forward), Devindar Sunil Walimiki (forward) and Gurjinder Singh (defender). Along with them, the franchisee has also retained young Australian talents – striker Aran Zalewski and goalkeeper Andrew Charter – for upcoming two seasons.

For Kalinga Lancers, the dragflicker specialist Gurjinder proved to be the key asset as he has a successful record in converting penalty corners in HIL. In the 2015 HIL, he was the fourth highest goal-scorer in the league and top scorer for his team with five goals, all through penalty corner conversions. His teammate Lalit, who scored two spectacular goals in last season, played a key role in mobilising the forward line and helped his team to create attacks.

Australia’s goalkeeper Andrew Charter is another important member of Kalinga Lancers, who saved many matches for his team. He displayed his best performance at his home match against the defending champions Delhi Waveriders, where he foiled many attacks from the opponents and was awarded Man-of-the-Match for his excellent show. His fellow countryman Aran Zalewski is also developing into a new star of the team with his consistent performance and talents. He scored the winning goal against Delhi Waveriders at their away match in New Delhi and earned the Man-of-the-Match Award for his brilliant attacking skills.

In the last two seasons, Kalinga Lancers played with young players and they have showed commendable passion to fight against experienced teams and high-class players. In their first season in 2014, the young team finished last with two wins against the defending champions Ranchi Rhinos and Mumbai Magicians. In 2015 HIL, Kalinga Lancers started their campaign with a spectacular 6-3 win over Ranchi Rays and defeated Delhi Waveriders to finish fifth in the points-table.

Speaking on their retained players, Kalinga Lancers spokesperson Ms. Rina Mohapatra stated, “Being a young team and joining the League in the 2014 Season, we didnt have an opportunity to take part in the first auction. However, the young Kalinga Lancers players showed high-class talent and stunned everyone in the hockey fraternity with their passion. They played extremely well and we managed to beat top teams in League. This is the reason we have retained the core group of players, such as Lalit Upadhyay, Devindar Sunil Walimiki and Gurjinder Singh, who are now the poster boys of the team and hockey fans in Odisha love their game. The Australian duo  of Aran Zalewski and Andrew Charter are also great assets for the team and their experience will help us in the upcoming season. We are expecting to get some good players in the HIL 2015 Auction that will strength out team and take us to the finals in the 2016 HIL.”

Speaking on Kalinga Lancers’ retaining decision, Lalit Upadhyay said,“It’s a great feeling that the Team Management has trust in my abilities and retained me for the upcoming seasons. Their decision has boosted my morale and given me confidence to play better for my team in the HIL. Having Devindar, Gurjinder, Zalewski and Charter in the team is also a good feeling as I enjoy playing with them. They are great team-players and their experience will surely help the team to achieve more. We are also thankful to the Odisha crowd who always stood by our side and supported us whole-heartedly. We look forward to showcasing better hockey performance and giving the fans plenty of winning moments in the 2016 HIL.”