Pune

Pune (IPA: [puɳe] English pronunciation: /ˈpuːnə/;) (Marathi: पुणे) is the ninth-most populous city in India and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after the state capital city of Mumbai. Pune is also the 101st largest city in the world, by population.

It is situated 560 metres (1,837 feet) above sea level on the Deccan plateau, on the right bank of the Mutha river. Pune city is the administrative headquarters of Pune district and was once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire established by Shivaji Maharaj.

In the 18th century, Pune became the political centre of the Indian subcontinent, as the seat of Peshwas who were the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire.

Pune is considered the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Since the 1950s and 1960s, Pune has a traditional old-economic base . Most of the old industries continue to grow. The city is also known for its manufacturing and automobiles industries, as well as for research institutes of information technology(IT), education, management and training, which attract migrants, students, and professionals from India, South East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Pune is also one of the fastest growing cities in the Asia-Pacific region. The ‘Mercer 2015 Quality of Living rankings’ evaluated local living conditions in more than 440 cities around the world where Pune ranked at 145, second in India after Hyderabad(138). It also highlights Pune among evolving business centers and emerging 9 cities around the world with citation "Hosts IT and automotive companies"

Pune Strykers

Pune Strykers (abbreviated as PS) is an Indian professional hockey team based in Pune, Maharashtra that plays in the World Series Hockey. Currently, Canadian Ken Pereira is the captain of the team and is coached by Gundeep Singh. The team is owned by Sai Grace Sports & Events Private Limited.PCMC Hockey Stadium in Pune is the home ground of Pune Strykers.

Pune Strykers ended up as the runner-up of the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey. They lost to Sher-e-Punjab by 5 goals to 2 in the final. Team's penalty corner expert Gurpreet Singh is the top-scorer for the team with 12 goals.

History

2012 season

Pune Strykers suffered a major set back when they lost their captain and ace drag-flicker Diwakar Ram to a wrist injury just before the commencement of the tournament. Pune Strykers started their campaign with a victory over Mumbai Marines in a see-saw battle at Mahindra Hockey Stadium in Mumbai by 7–5. They continued with a victory over Delhi Wizards but drew next three matches. Their undefeated run came to an end when they lost to Chandigarh Comets 3–1. They only managed to win two of their next six matches. With almost knocked out of the tournament they defeated table-toppers Sher-e-Punjab and Bhopal Badshahs in their final two matches. A defeat to Chennai Cheetahs by Mumbai Marines gave them their semi-final berth.

World Series Hockey

World Series Hockey (WSH) was a professional league for field hockey competition in India. It was organised by Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sports with the objective to reinvigorate hockey in India. It was contested among eight franchisee-based teams consisting of players from India and around the world. The entire event took place on home and away basis culminating into multi header playoffs. Australian Dennis Meredith, a member of the FIH panel of tournament directors is the technical director of the WSH. It is currently sponsored by tyre manufacterers, Bridgestone, and therefore officially known as Bridgestone World Series Hockey.

The inaugural season of the tournament was played between eight teams out of which Sher-e-Punjab was crowned the champion after defeating Pune Strykers 5-2 in the final. WSH became the first hockey tournament ever to live stream all the matches online on Google's video and music sharing site YouTube. The second season of World Series Hockey will be played from 15 December 2012 to 20 January 2013.

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion. Prior to 1969, the team with the best win-loss record in each league automatically advanced to the World Series; since then each league has conducted a championship series (ALCS and NLCS) preceding the World Series to determine which teams will advance. As of 2015, the World Series has been contested 111 times, with the AL winning 64 and the NL winning 47. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played in October (and occasionally November), during the autumn season in North America, it is often referred to as the Fall Classic.

The 2015 World Series took place between the New York Mets and the victorious Kansas City Royals. Five games were played, with the Royals victorious after game five, played in New York. The final score was 7-2; the game went into extra innings after a tied score of 2-2. This was the second World Series won by the franchise and the first in 30 years.