Eyes on big four as hockey league rolls today

All four title contenders – Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club, Abahani, Mohammedan SC and Usha KC – are quietly confident about winning the title but showing enough respect to the oppositions as the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League gets underway today at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium.

On the opening day, holders Mariners will take on promoted Usha KC at 4:00pm before last edition's runners-up Abahani take on Dilkusha SC at 6:00pm in the 11-team league. The title race once used to be confined between Mohammedan, Abahani and Usha before Mariners joined the race by splashing money to become league champions in 2016.

Even though all the Big 4 teams fielded foreign players in their Club Cup matches, they are set to bring either wholesale or partial changes in foreign players' roster in a bid to strengthening their squads or recover from the weakness.

"The league is not going to be an easy one because the Club Cup was a trial for all the teams and they found their weaknesses there. The other teams must have analysed Mariners' style of play and will come out strongly. Of course we will also try to adapt accordingly," Mariners coach Mamunur Rashid told The Daily Star.

"I think Abahani are ahead of all the teams on paper even though they could not win the Club Cup. I have heard that an Indian coach and four new Indian players are going to join Abahani. However, we are confident about defending the title but we not overconfident," Rashid said, adding that they will replace two foreign players.

"There is no point being the top team on paper unless you perform on the pitch. We lacked finishing and coordination in the midfield during the Club Cup and we are working to fix the problem and we are hopeful of performing better in the league," Abahani coach Hedayetul Islam Razib said.

Mohammedan coach Shahidullah Titu said, "I think there are no clear favourites for the title because no one can guarantee becoming champions until performing well on the ground. We have taken better preparation this time around compared to the Club Cup."

Titu informed that they are going to replace all of their four foreign players to strengthen their squad.

"I think foreign players will make the difference but Usha are ready to fight till the end," said Usha coach Ashikuzzaman, who kept Mariners ahead of Abahani, Mohammedan and his team.

Even though the focus will be on four big teams, the mediocre ones like Ajax SC and Shadharan Bima may also cause an upset or two to derail the title contenders.