Mahinderpal Singh

Mahinderpal Singh It is strange to note that whereas in India, there is no separate Sikh team of Cricket, but in Pakistan, where the population of Sikhs are very small as compare to India, the Sikhs formed a Cricket Team comprising the members of the community only. This team started playing matches with teams of other minority commuties of Pakistan in the Minorty Sports Festival which takes place on National Minority Day (11.08.2016). This idea to form Khalsa XI came to S. Ramesh Singh Arora to promote the budding Sikh players of Pakistan. The Khalsa XI team was captained by Mahinderpal Singh, who emerged as a wonderful Cricket Player at the time of Minority Sports Festival in which Hindu and Christian Cricket Teams had also participated. When the matches were over, many Pakistanis and the Sikh leadership expressed the desire that the participating Sikhs be included in the National Team to represent the Nation. The Sikh leadership also stated, “We will extend invitation to the Indian Punjab Govt. to form an all Sikh Cricket Team and hold a Championship between the two either in Amritsar or in Nankana Sahib.

Such events will also help bring both Nation closure and pave the way for other similar sporting meets”. S. Mahinderpal Singh, the captain of this team had become a role model cricketer while playing these matches. However, when Pakistan Cricket Board selected him for under 19 National Team of Pakistan, he became the first Sikh Cricketer of the Pakistan under 19 National Team. A great honour was given to the wonderful player. When he told that for this selection 500 Cricket players were examined at National Cricket Academy in Multan in a camp organized between 28.11.2016 to 11.12.2016 and the Chairman Sheharyar Khan and other members of board, being impressed by his performance, selected him accordingly, the Sikh community all over the World felt proud. S. Mahinderpal Singh, the role model Sikh Cricketer impressed the Board members so much that Chairman of the board Sheharyar Khan announced that a Cricket Academy will be opened at Nankana Sahib for training the aspiring players. With this news, the Sikh community can hope that some other players of Khalsa XI will also become a part of the National Teams of Pakistan one day. Mahinderpal Singh will be a role model for all of them.