Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh tied the knot with long-time fiancée Illi Saddique at the GTB Nagar Gurudwara in Jalandhar on Wednesday. It was followed by lunch for about 60-70 invitees at Manpreet’s native Mithapur village.
Manpreet Singh donned a ceremonial Punjabi wedding suit complete with a turban, while Illi wore a Punjabi bridal costume.
Manpreet Singh first met Illi Saddique, a Malaysian national of Pakistani descent, while captaining the junior Indian hockey team at the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2012. Saddique works for a private University in Malaysia. Her mother Masita used to play hockey for the Malaysian army.
Sharing his love story, Manpreet said, “We met in 2012 when I had gone to Malaysia for the Sultan of Johor Cup. She was among the spectators. We had a brief interaction and I was carried away by her charm. I managed to get her phone number and stayed in touch. We got engaged in February 2014.”
The couple had reportedly been planning wedding earlier this year, but travel restrictions due to the pandemic made them put off their plan. Illi Saddique reportedly had to get special permission from the Malaysian authorities and India’s Home Affairs Ministry to fly down for the wedding. Manpreet had tested Covid positive back in August during India’s hockey national camp in Bengaluru but has made a full recovery. The 28-year-old is expected to captain the Indian men’s hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics in Japan, which starts from July 2021.
