Baby on way, announces hockey skipper Manpreet Singh

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 1

Posting a picture of his Malaysian wife Illi Najwa Saddique standing along with him and showing her baby bump, Indian hockey Olympian Manpreet Singh on Friday announced that the couple was expecting their baby next month.

Manpreet took on Instagram this evening to make this announcement. He wrote: “If you don’t know, now ya know! A grand adventure is about to begin in November.” The couple got the photoshoot done doing twinning by wearing the same T-shirt. The background had ‘Baby’ written behind with silver and white balloons hanging on the wall.

Even mother-to-be Illi commented on the post writing: “I have been MIA (Missing in Action) around here lately coz we are pregnant! Our little pumpkin will be arriving to our patch in November #babyontheway”.

The couple will be celebrating their first marriage anniversary on December 17 this year. Their wedding took lace in a Jalandhar gurdwara after eight years of courtship period. Illi had first met Manpreet in 2012 as a spectator when he had gone to Malaysia to play hockey matches. Post their wedding, Manpreet’s family have given Illi, who has Pakistani roots, a Punjabi name – Navpreet Kaur.

Manpreet, who hails from now popular village, Mithapur, has been in Jalandhar spending time with his family, friends and meeting people around him since he as skipper of the Indian hockey team brought glory to the country by winning a bronze at Tokyo Olympics held in August this year. His wife was not here at the time he returned home to a hero’s welcome. She had in fact talked to the media through a video call from Malaysia.