KUALA LUMPUR: India’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh Pawar has married Malaysian Illi Najwa Saddique at a wedding ceremony in Jalandhar, Punjab, after a six-year long engagement.
Najwa is National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique’s niece.
The wedding was attended by family, relatives, national team players, officials, and invited guests.
NST reported that Najwa, 27, managed to obtain special permission from Malaysian authorities and India’s home affairs ministry for the wedding.
The couple first met when Najwa was a spectator at a hockey game in which Manpreet was playing for the Indian junior team during the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2012.
NST reported an unnamed official as saying their courtship started when the sportsman returned as the Indian national team captain for the annual Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament in Ipoh. They then got engaged on Feb 26, 2014.
“Manpreet had reportedly fallen for Illi Najwa’s charm and courteous behaviour, including being served with hot chappati at her home on their second date.”
The official said, after their engagement, they had to put off wedding plans due to Manpreet’s involvement in international hockey and the domestic Indian hockey league.
Manpreet first played for India in 2011 when he was 19 and was named Asia’s “Junior Player of the Year” in 2014. He has been India’s captain since May 2017.
Najwa admitted that hockey would remain Manpreet’s priority even after their wedding, and that she would be honoured to be by his side in Tokyo during the Olympic games, set to be Manpreet’s third Olympic debut.