| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1983-08-08)8 August 1983 (age 42) | ||
| Playing position | Halfback | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| Marienburger SC | |||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Caps | |
| India | 147 (52 goals) | ||
Rajpal Singh (born 8 August 1983) is a former captain ofIndia national hockey team.[1] He plays from the forward (front line) position. He is anArjuna Award winner. He is a graduate from Chandigarh's SGGS Khalsa College and a product of Shivalik Public School. Rajpal Singh hogged the limelight with a sterling show at his first international outing at the 2001 Youth Asia Cup. India won the Cup atIpoh,Malaysia, where he was the 'Player of the Tournament', with seven goals. Rajpal Singh was in the news before the home world cup, as he unitedly led his team's fight for its rights with the hockey administrators.
Younger son of a retired policeman, Rajpal representedChandigarh in Junior Nationals. After the Hobart Junior World Cup gold, he joinedIndian Oil Corporation. A long wait for his senior debut ended when, under the tutelage ofRajinder Singh Jr., he travelled to the 2005Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
He succeeded Deepak Thakur at the right wing.
In fall 2007, he played in the German second division (2. Bundesliga) forMarienburger SC,Cologne. In the first round, he scored four times. WithAdrian D'Souza, Bimal Lakra and William Xalco, there played four Indians for this club. Rajpal was one of many Indians in 2007 who played in Germany in preparation for the Olympic Games 2008 in China.[2][3][4]
He became captain of national team after replacingSandeep Singh just before theFIH world cup 2010 inNew Delhi but India finished 8th.[5]
Under the captaincy of Rajpal, the Indian team regained their title as they emerged joint winners along withKorea in a rain-affected final at the 19th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. In one of the group matches, the Indian team defeated the Australian team 4–3.
Under his captaincy, the Indian team entered into semifinal ofCommonwealth Games, Delhi after defeatingPakistan by 7-4.[6] It persuaded against theEngland in the semifinals to be the first team to make sure of a medal for India inCWG Hockey history. But the final was a washout with India going down 8-0 against the mightyAustralia.[7]
He captained the Indian team to the inaugural2011 Asian Men's Hockey Champions Trophy, which India won by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.[8]
But Rajpal was removed as the captain on 30 September and was replaced by goalkeeperBharat Chhetri. It is believed that his demotion was imminent as he had led the team's revolt against the federation for giving meager rewards after the Champion's Trophy triumph.[citation needed]
Rajpal leads hugely popular Chandigarh Dynamos in thePHL.
Rajpal, a PPS officer is currently serving in the Punjab Police as a Superintendent of Police.
He married Indiansport shooterAvneet Sidhu in 2013, and the couple have one child.[9]
Rajpal leads the Delhi Wizards in theWSH 2012.
In 2011, Rajpal received the prestigiousArjuna Award for excellence in the field of hockey.
