ISLAMABAD, April 27: The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is set to appoint Rajinder Singh Jnr as their national team’s chief coach for next month’s Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Dawn was told on Wednesday that Narinder Pal Singh would be the team coach with Romeo James the goalkeeping coach for the May 26- June 5 tournament.

The 46-year-old Rajinder, whose namesake Rajinder Singh was axed shortly before the Athens Summer Games, was a halfback in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and also played in the 1982 Asiad. He has been the coach of Punjab and Sindh Bank Jalandhar for the last 17 years and won them their maiden national title in Hyderabad last month.

This will be Rajinder’s first stint as India’s coach and could well be a stopgap arrangement before IHF looks for an overseas incumbent.

However, if India are able to finish among the first four in Kuala Lumpur, his services will be retained for the Chennai Champions Trophy.

Narinder Pal Singh was the coach of the Hyderabad Sultans team that won the inaugural title of the Premier Hockey League (PHL) at Hyderabad this February, a side also featuring three Pakistanis Wasim Ahmad, Sohail Abbas and Ahmad Alam, besides Indian captain Dilip Tirkey.