Last two league matches of HIL tomorrow

Last two league matches will be played tomorrow to wind up the month long process which held Indian hockey fans to witness some good hockey

Invincible Delhi Waveriders will take on high on confident UP Wizards in the Thursday’s first match while Rhinos, who are second in the points table, will face off Mumbai Magicians, who may save some face with a win.

Record chasing Delhi Waveriders would come across an inspired Uttar Pradesh Wizards in their final league encounter on 7 February, the result of which will also decide the semi-final line-up of the inaugural Hero Hockey India League.

DELHI Vs UPW

The Waveriders have a golden opportunity to become the first team in the Hero HIL to reach the last four stage without losing a single match and given the form they are in, the record looks a definitely possibility for the league leaders in front of their home crowd at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

However, the Wizards will definitely go all out to end the Waveriders unbeaten run and avoid the leaders in the semi-final.

The Wizards, who are one of the only two teams to have held the Waveriders to a draw in their 11 matches so far, are currently fourth in the standings with 27 points and a victory over the hosts on Thursday could catapult them to the third spot above the Jaypee Punjab Warriors, who completed their league commitments on 29 points with a loss against Waveriders.

That loss has thrown a lifeline to the Wizards and the visitors should play with a carefree approach, having already booked their semi-final berth with a victory over bottom placed Dabur Mumbai Magicians on Tuesday.

However, if the Wizards aim to achieve a first in the competition of beating the Waveriders, they will have to raise their game several notches up. The 1-0 victory over Magicians was hardly a confident showing for the Roelant Oltmans coached side and they can’t afford to waste any chances against the hosts.

It will also be interesting to see whether the Wizards have enough reverses in their tank to keep the pressure on the hosts for the entire 70 minute duration against a team that has made it a habit to punish their opponents by stepping up the pace of the match in the last quarter.

Delhi Waveriders coach AK Bansal said that he will try some junior players in the last league match. “We want to rest some players for the Semifinal clash and try some young players. We are not taking any pressure as we already are in the Semis and leading the points table,” he stated.

Uttar Prdesh Wizards skipper VR Raghunath said that their team will play for victory tomorrow. “It’s our last league match. After this, the semis will start. We had a great match yesterday and we are looking forward to strike a win tomorrow against Delhi Waveriders,” Raghunath added.

MUMBAI Vs RANCHI
Bottom placed Dabur Mumbai Magicians would have nothing but pride to defend when they take on second placed Ranchi Rhinos in their last league encounter of the Hero Hockey India League at the Mumbai Hockey Association Stadium here on Thursday.

The Magicians went into their last two league encounters in a must-win situation to keep alive their semi-finals hopes. But a 1-0 loss against fellow strugglers Uttar Pradesh Wizards on Tuesday was enough to condemn them to the fifth and final spot and thereby throw them out of semi-final reckoning.

The hosts, who have gathered 15 points from 11 outings, have managed to win only one match in the entire tournament so far and the team’s defensive frailties have meant that the Magicians could never launch a serious challenge in the competition.

And at least getting the consolation of ending their campaign on a winning note is also not going to be easy for the hosts against the Rhinos, who are likely to rest their star players ahead of the semi-finals.

The Rhinos have already secured a second place in the league standing and would be facing either Jaypee Punjab Warriors or Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the semi-finals on their home turf and coach Gregg Clark would definitely want to give some of his fringe players a longer run in their last league encounter.

Dabur Mumbai Magicians skipper Sandeep Singh said that they will give their best at the last match of Hero HIL also. “Our team didn’t perform well through-out the League and we didn’t get the results we wanted. But we will try for a good result in the last match and will give our best,” he added.

Ranchi Rhinos coach Gregg Clark said that their team want to continue the winning momentum for Semi-Final match. “Our approach for tomorrow’s match will be the same as previous matches. We will play with same focus and passion against Dabur Mumbai Magicians. As our next match is Semi-Final, we want to take this momentum there,” stated Clark.