Four friends walked into a room, shared laughs and posed for pictures together before leaving for their respective camps. At least, that was the vibe when the Hockey India League (HIL) semifinalist teams’ skippers sat for a press conference at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit and Rupinder Pal Singh, who won bronze with the national team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, were in great spirits ahead of the final-four showdown.
When asked which game had been the turning point, Harmanpreet and Sumit called back to the win over the Kalinga Lancers. Rupinder chimed in with ‘everyone’s turning point was against Kalinga Lancers’ to leave the hall in splits.
But when they take the field on Friday, Harmanpreet signalled that the ‘real competition’ will get underway. Rest assured, each will want to get one over their former teammates for a crack at the title.
Rupinder’s table-topping Rarh Bengal Tigers will take on Amit’s Tamil Nadu Dragons, which finished fourth, in the first semifinal.
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The former India drag-flicker was rested in the team’s final pool fixture as a precaution after a calf strain. However, he showed no signs of trouble during training on Thursday and declared himself fit.
His leadership and experience will be crucial for the Tigers at the back alongside Jugraj Singh, leading the charts from short corners with nine goals. The pair’s 12 goals from PCs is the joint-best in the tournament with Hyderabad Toofans.
In attack, Abhishek Nain and Sukhjeet Singh have shared six goals between them, making their link-up key for Tigers.
The Dragons were at the top of the table for the better part of the league stages before a late stutter nearly dumped it out of the top four. It will need to start stronger than it did against UP Rudras on Wednesday, where it fell 0-2 behind in the opening quarter before a late rally hauled it into the semis.
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.Jip Janssen, who has seven goals from penalty corners (PCs), will hope his forwards can win more opportunities for him to showcase his skills. Dragons have the best conversion rate (29.7%) from the lowest number of PCs (37). They will need to rely heavily on its experienced overseas midfielders Tom Craig and Blake Govers to step up.
In the second semifinal, two in-form teams Soorma Hockey Club and Toofans will battle it out. Harmanpreet’s Soorma has been undefeated in its last four since the captain’s return from injury. His key goals from PCs and passing from the back have helped unlock the opponent’s defences.
The Toofans have not lost their last seven games in regulation time with just two penalty shoot-out defeats in that period. They have not only conceded the least goals but also have one of the best forwards in the league in Tim Brand, who has scored six field goals.
It will be a fascinating match-up between Brand and Soorma’s veteran goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch, who has bailed his side out with numerous saves.
The Toofans have accumulated the most number of PCs (68) but their conversion rate of 17.6 per cent is the sixth best in the league. Youngster Amandeep Lakra has offered a capable alternative from short corners, but Toofans will hope Gonzalo Peillat, one of the world’s premier drag-flickers, will find his mark in the crunch clash.
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