Pipers have retained Tomas Domene, second right.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: M. VEDHAN
With the Hockey India League (HIL) edging towards its second season, teams have begun working on their composition and management ahead of the players auction likely to be held next month.
Delhi-based SG Pipers, which finished last in the eight-team competition last year with not a single outright victory, has overhauled its coaching staff, bringing in Tim Oudenaller and Sofie Gierts as head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams respectively. Oudenaller, currently coach of Kampong in the Dutch league, replaces former India coach Graham Reid, while former Belgium international Gierts — a rare female chief coach of a men’s side in professional hockey with Belgium’s Royal Uccle — will come in for Dave Smolenaars.
Player retentions
The team has also announced a list of 17 players retained for the next season from the original squad of 24. Among those released are Australians Corey Weyer, Jake Whetton and Benjamin Rennie and Japan’s Koji Yamasaki. Pipers have also acquired Welshman Jacob Draper from Team Gonasika, which has officially withdrawn from the HIL.
The retained players: Foreign: Tomas Santiago and Tomas Domene (Arg), Gareth Furlong (Wal), Ky Willott (Aus); Acquired: Jacob Draper (Wal); Indians: Pawan Malik, Jarmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Rohit, Manjeet, Shamsher Singh, Rajkumar Pal, Ankit Pal, Thokchom Kingson Singh, Aditya Lalage, Sourabh Anand Khushwaha, Dilraj Singh.
Lancers appoint Stacy
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, meanwhile, named former Australia player and coach Jay Stacy as the new head coach, replacing German Valentin Altenburg. Lancers finished sixth last year.
Published – September 16, 2025 07:02 pm IST
