Praveen Chandran

Commoner who reacts

[The Hindu @the_hindu]

Sibin Girish’s spectacular rise from obscurity
✍️@PRAVCHAND
https://t.co/EqBe6rPZYA

[Praveen Chandran @PRAVCHAND]

Sanju to miss third season of KCL for personal reasons.

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

I'm not against Indian hockey. I'm disappointed because I care.

My hockey knowledge may be limited, and this is just my opinion. (Armchair coaches, you can skip this.)

The last two FIH Pro League seasons have exposed the reality—we finished 8th. If not for Ireland and Pakistan, the standings could have looked even worse.

Don’t tell me that we are trying new players or we are applying new strategy’s 🙃

Yes, we won the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. Congratulations to the team. 👏 But let's be honest: those tournaments are no longer the benchmark for judging where Indian hockey stands globally.

Now the usual explanation will be:
"We're focusing on the Asian Games because it's the Olympic qualifier."
That's understandable—but the Pro League table doesn't lie. It showed exactly where we stand against the world's best.

our junior team can beat Pakistan, it also shows the gap between India and the rest of Asia. Winning Asian tournaments is expected. The real challenge is consistently competing with the top teams in the world.
So here's the question:

Are we spending €24,286 ( approximately 25 laks ) a month on a foreign chief coach just to dominate Asian competitions? Or are we investing to become a genuine medal contender at the World Cup, Pro League, and Olympics?

Being satisfied with regional success while struggling against the world's elite shouldn't be the standard for Indian hockey.
Supporting the team doesn't mean staying silent. Real supporters ask tough questions because they want higher standards—not lower expectations.

@TheHockeyIndia @Media_SAI @DGSAI @WeAreTeamIndia @sports_odisha @mansukhmandviya @PMOIndia

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

When the Hockey India president offered me the “development team,” I asked a few simple questions:
Do we really have a development team?
Who are the players in this development group?
What is the structure of the program?
What camps are approved for them?
What tournaments are they preparing for?

There were no answers to any of these questions.

And about goalkeeper coaching… after winning a Junior World Cup bronze medal as chief coach, making me a goalkeeper coach again — is that considered a promotion or a demotion?

4 teams.

6 foreign coaches.
3 foreign strength & conditioning coaches.
1 foreign video analyst.
2 foreign goalkeeper coaches (visiting).
1 foreign sports psychologist (visiting).

Lucky that at least we still have 1 Indian coach in each team 🙏( as per the hockey india app )

Junior team is already taken.

Maybe now it’s time for U18 too.

Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal are doing a great job, but maybe the president feels they are still “not experienced enough” or “qualified enough” to coach Indian teams.

So can we expect more foreign coaches there as well ??

@DilipTirkey @TheHockeyIndia @mansukhmandviya @DGSAI

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

It’s seems like My coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played 5 tournaments and secured 5 podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal.

I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances.
But this is the first time I am experiencing being removed to make way for a foreign coach.

The Hockey India President stated that the chief coach of the senior men’s team prefers a foreign head coach for the junior team, believing it will help develop Indian hockey from the junior level through to the senior level. Hence, the continued preference for foreign coaches —

Can’t Indian coaches develop Indian hockey?

On 07-03-2026, during a meeting with the Hon’ble Sports Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, I was told, “Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036.”

However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams.

@mansukhmandviya @PMOIndia @TheHockeyIndia @Media_SAI @WeAreTeamIndia @DGSAI @DilipTirkey

[Vimal Kumar @vimalkumar_u]

Looks like Badminton World Federation is determined to make badminton as “easy” as pickleball and padel… interesting way to promote a sport built on endurance, skill, and resilience 😄

[Vimal Kumar @vimalkumar_u]

Extremely disappointed with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) decision to alter the scoring system—and even more concerning is the overwhelming support it has received from Council members.

The existing format ensured a true level playing field across playing styles, especially in the premier events—Men’s and Women’s Singles—which have always embodied the very essence of our sport: skill, resilience, fitness, and mental strength.

By effectively reducing the duration (and in essence removing one game’s worth of play—18 points), BWF risks diluting what made these events so compelling. The explanation that this will “create early excitement” feels short-sighted. Badminton has never lacked excitement—what it has offered is sustained intensity, something very few sports can match.

If change was necessary, why not apply it selectively to doubles formats, while preserving the integrity of Singles? That would have been a more balanced approach.

Equally concerning is the continued neglect of player welfare and voice:

* No prize money for the World Championships
* No meaningful increase in rewards for Singles, the flagship category

* No implementation of a review/referral system for critical umpiring decisions
These are areas that truly needed attention.
Badminton is widely regarded among the toughest sports in the world. A 90-minute Singles match can have nearly an hour of shuttle in play—far exceeding many longer-duration sports. Yet, instead of strengthening these unique aspects, decisions like this risk undermining them.
Players are expected to adapt—but are rarely heard.

While other global sports continue to evolve by empowering athletes, improving officiating, and enhancing viewer engagement, badminton seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

It’s disheartening to see a sport followed so passionately—especially across Asia—being reshaped for reasons that do not address its real challenges.

This is not evolution. This is dilution.

[Praveen Chandran @PRAVCHAND]

Italy are out of World Cup. Bosnia and Hezergovin beat Italy on penalties.

[Royal Challengers Bengaluru @RCBTweets]

#𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗣𝗟: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽��𝗲𝗿 1️⃣9️⃣! 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘. 𝗪𝗘. 𝗚𝗢.❤️‍🔥

Favourite time of the year is finally here! 🤩🔥

📸: BCCI | #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2026

[Virat Kohli @imVkohli]

Champions ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Phenomenal win for Team India in Ahmedabad. Absolutely no match for the explosive cricket played by us throughout the tournament. Brilliant character shown by the boys to keep fighting in tough situations and become world champions once again. Congratulations to all the players and all the members of the management for achieving this feat. Jai Hind 🇮🇳❤️

[Praveen Chandran @PRAVCHAND]

Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakraborty not playing in VHT match between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

[Praveen Chandran @PRAVCHAND]

K.L. Rahul miscues and is caught by Hooda.

[Sportstar @sportstarweb]

The IPL snub was a bitter pill to swallow for Abhinav Manohar, but he decided to take the cliched route - to maximise things which he could control -  for salvation.

Now, Abhinav has struck a purple patch as a finisher in the ongoing #VijayHazareTrophy, scoring 172 runs from 94 balls with a strike rate of 182.9, and is yet to be dismissed.

@PRAVCHAND writes on how his vital contribution as a finisher has been one of the reasons for Karnataka’s unbeaten streak in the tournament.

Read here: https://t.co/608Dc2t5HY

📷 Vijay Soneji

[The Hindu @the_hindu]

Abhinav lets his bat do the talking after IPL snub
✍️@PRAVCHAND
https://t.co/6tCIez9BE4

[The Hindu - Sports @TheHinduSports]

The icing on the cake was definitely the SMAT title win. It was easily the biggest moment in my career. The Player-of-the-Series award was a bonus says Anukul Roy.
✍️ @PRAVCHAND

https://t.co/On0Q7CcZIM

[Praveen Chandran @PRAVCHAND]

Kushagra nearing his 100, Jharkhand 191/4 in 36 overs.

[Praveen Chandran @PRAVCHAND]

Ishan falls for 21, Aparajith picks a smart return catch kushagra going strong reaches fifty off 55 balls

[The Hindu - Sports @TheHinduSports]

Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah made a surprise visit to the Gujarat College ground on Monday while Tamil Nadu was playing Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
✍️ @PRAVCHAND

https://t.co/jj30DnEzue

[The Hindu @the_hindu]

Vijay Hazare Trophy: Utkarsh, Shikhar power Jharkhand past Tamil Nadu

✍️@PRAVCHAND
https://t.co/fYZLVtQbAT

[The Hindu @the_hindu]

Vijay Hazare Trophy: Utkarsh, Shikhar power Jharkhand past Tamil Nadu
✍️@PRAVCHAND
https://t.co/fYZLVtQbAT