HIL 2024-25: All about the Delhi SG Pipers co-captains Shamsher Singh and Jacob Whetton

When a franchise plans and executes perfectly in an auction, they secure multiple match-winners in their squad. The Delhi SG Pipers observed a similarly successful run in the HIL 2024-25 auction as they bagged top-seeded Indians. As HIL takes off once again after a break of seven years, the tournament is poised as one of the best platforms for up-and-coming players. To groom these youngsters into future champions, the teams have cherry-picked the current victors as their leaders. Having one too many of those, the Delhi SG Pipers will take on the Hockey India League tournament with two champions sharing the leading position. Australia’s seasoned Jacob Whetton and India’s Olympic winner, Shamsher Singh, will co-captain the team in the league.

HIL 2024-25: Shamsher Singh and Jacob Whetton to lead Delhi SG Pipers together

Shamsher Singh has swiftly jumped ranks to emerge as a trusted winner for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team. The then youngster staged a bit of controversy when the team’s chief, Graham Reid, picked Shamsher ahead of the likes of Akashdeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, the decision paid off brilliantly as Shamsher emerged as elemental in the edition where India finally broke the 41-year-long wait for an Olympic medal.

From there, Shamsher Singh has played across every major hockey tournament, seamlessly moulding into different roles for the team. Starting off as a forward, Shamsher is now fluent as a midfielder too, playing the crucial link in the middle. Moreover, the 26-year-old has now won two Olympic bronzes as India repeated the 2020 wonders to clinch a bronze again at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Thus, when SG Pipers got hold of the Indian star, the team earmarked him for the leading role in the HIL 2024-25 season. Here, Shamsher will reunite with Graham Reid, who serves as the coach of SG Pipers. Additionally, Shamsher will be aided by his former teammate and the legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who mentors the team in the tournament.

Moreover, the Delhi SG Pipers have rested their trust in the seasoned Australian, Jacob Whetton, alongside Shamsher. Whetton marked a notable entry into the HIL 2024-25 as the Delhi SG Pipers picked him to replace the injured Dutchman Jorrit Croon in the squad. With Whetton comes a splendid profile that includes a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, along with unmatched titles like the 2014 World Cup victory, two FIH Pro League titles, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, and two Champions Trophy wins.