137 goals, zero bids!

A visibly dejected Yuvraj Walmiki at his trophy-laden home in Marine Lines yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Fate has dealt former India forward Yuvraj Walmiki a severe blow - almost like his trademark rasping reverse hit off which he has scored numerous goals on the hockey turf - by leaving him unsold at the recent Hockey India League player auction in Delhi.

As many as 192 players were picked, from a total of 550-plus, as eight men's franchise outfits bid for 24 players each. Walmiki, 35, however, went unsold, despite his brilliant form on the domestic circuit. The hardworking striker, who leads the Railways Sports Promotion Board team (Indian Railways), has scored a whopping 137 goals in the last three years in domestic hockey and in international club tournaments (see box).

"When I was younger, I faced many rejections when it came to being picked for the India team, particularly for the 2012 London Olympics, but I learnt to accept them gracefully and continued grinding it out on the domestic front. But after being left out of this eight-team Hockey India League despite offering a low base price [R5 lakh] I'm totally shattered. I cried through that night," a distraught Walmiki told mid-day on Wednesday.

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Age no bar for auction

Interestingly, Walmiki is a national selector and had also checked with Hockey India if that would be a problem before making himself available for the auction. "I checked with Hockey India about my age too, in case that was also a criterion. But they assured me that my age or the fact that I'm a selector, has no bearing on being picked at the auction," added Walmiki, who led Indian Railways to the prestigious MCC Murugappa Cup title in Chennai last month, scoring five goals en route. Walmiki's name was mistakenly listed in the midfielders category, so he initially felt that could be a reason that he was left out, but when franchises did not touch him even towards the end of the auction, it hurt even more.

"The auction began around 10am and my name came up in the midfielders category around 3:45pm, so it's possible that some franchises may have missed me or not picked me since I'm a forward. But at 10pm, after all the franchises had picked 20 players each, Hockey India asked them to submit a list of four players from the remaining unsold lot at their base prices. Even then, no one thought of picking me. That is most shocking. I've never felt so unwanted before," said Walmiki, who was picked for the first HIL in 2013 for USD 18,500 by Delhi Waveriders, who finished runners-up. In 2014, Delhi retained him for a whopping USD 40,000 and won the title. Then, in the third season, he helped Delhi win the bronze medal.

According to a franchise official, Walmiki might have missed out purely due to situational issues. "It all depends on timing, about when the player's name comes up in the bidding and how much money is left in the franchisee's purse then. For example, if a franchise has picked its first set of forwards and has kept the remaining purse for defenders, in this case, Yuvraj would not fit in, so he misses out," said the franchise member.

Dhanraj livid

India hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay was shocked to learn that a player of Walmiki's calibre wasn't picked at the auction. "Yuvraj is the best centreforward Mumbai hockey has produced, after me. He is playing really well for Railways and scoring goals frequently. He was among the best players at the previous HIL editions, so I don't understand how he has not been picked at this auction. This is nothing, but politics which is one of the reasons even I have kept away from Indian hockey for the last few years," Pillay told mid-day.

Yuvi's a wily striker: Joaquim

Olympian and former India coach Joaquim Carvalho felt Yuvraj should have walked into any of the HIL franchise teams. "Yuvraj should have definitely been picked at the HIL auction. Clearly, these franchises haven't seen him leading Indian Railways. He's a wily striker and can turn half chances into goals. There's some politics at play here due to which a talented player has lost out," said Carvalho.

Red hot form

2022
March: Won Obaidulla Cup in Bhopal for RSPB, scoring 5 goals
April: Won Kolkata League for East Bengal, scoring 11 goals.
October: Won bronze at National Games in Gujarat for Maharashtra, scoring 8 goals (top scorer of the tournament)
November: Won Surjit Cup in Jalandhar for RSPB, scoring 3 goals
November: Won Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup in Delhi for RSPB, scoring
6 goals (Named best player of the tournament)
December: Won National Championships in Delhi for RSPB, scoring 8 goals

2023
March: Runners-up at National Championships in Bangalore for RSPB, scoring 6 goals
March: Won Kolkata League with Mohan Bagan, scoring 9 goals.
June: Played Kenya League for Sikh Union Club in Africa, scoring 13 goals.
September: Won MCC Murugappa Cup in Chennai for RSPB, scoring 8 goals (named best forward of the tourney)
November: Captained Maharashtra at National Games in Goa, 4th place, scoring 1 goal.
November: Captained Maharashtra team at National Championship in Chennai, scoring 5 goals.
December: Coorg tournament, top scorer with 12 goals.

2024
February: Runners-up at Kolkata League, scoring 16 goals.
May: Won Hong Kong League, scoring 11 goals.
May: Runners-up at
Cal Cup in California, USA, scoring 5 goals.
September: Runners-up at Pune National Championships for RSPB, scoring 5 goals.
September: Captained and won MCC Murugappa Cup Chennai for RSPB, scoring 5 goals.