In one of the strongest ever fields to assemble at the Delhi Golf Club from November 7-10, multiple Asian Tour winner Arjun Atwal, who was the Asian number one in 2003, Korea's Baek Seuk-hyun, local heroes Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur and Anirban Lahiri and Bangladeshi Siddikur will be amongst the leading stars challenging for the Golden anniversary title.
Bhullar, currently third on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, will be the highest ranked player in the elite field, followed by the fourth-ranked Lahiri, Baek, who is fifth, Siddikur who is eighth and ninth-ranked Kapur.
Englishman Robert Rock, a two-time winner in Europe, and Michael Thompson, a winner on the PGA Tour, will be hoping to make it a memorable visit by winning the Hero Indian Open which will see players from no fewer than 15 different nationalities vying for honours.
Former Indian Open champions Mardan Mamat of Singapore, C Muniyappa and Jyoti Randhawa of India are also in the field next week. Sweden's Daniel Chopra, who has close affinity to India and a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, will also tee up at the Delhi Golf Club.
The 35-year-old Filipino has enjoyed a superb season so far, posting three top-five finishes and currently sits in 15th position on the Order of Merit. He hopes to sweeten a relatively successful year with a fourth Asian Tour win at the Hero Indian Open.