Kalinga Lancers crowned new HIL champions

Bhubaneswar: In front of a partisan Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers rode Alexander Hendrickx’s penalty-corner double to beat Ranchi Royals 3-2 and lift the Men’s Hockey India League title on Monday. The crowd turned up in numbers, and the fervent, vocal support for the Odisha-based side was a sight to see. To the delight of the fans, Lancers did not disappoint.The Belgian drag-flicker struck in the 4th and 27th minutes to finish the season with 12 goals. Dilpreet Singh added the other Lancers goal in the 25th. Araijeet Singh Hundal (9’) and Tom Boon (59’) replied for the Royals, who fell short despite winning seven penalty corners. Boon finished with 19 goals – the highest in the tournament – but he would be disappointed for failing to score more on the day.Lancers drew first blood from a retaken penalty corner after Angad Bir Singh won the set-piece and Hendrickx powered his drag-flick low to the goalkeeper’s left. Suraj Karkera got a stick on it but could not keep it out. The Royals hit back within five minutes. Yashdeep Siwach’s aerial from the left found Hundal on the right inside the circle; the forward brought it down under pressure and squeezed a finish past Krishan Bahadur Pathak at the near post, who should have done better.But the second quarter belonged to the hosts as they upped the tempo and grabbed two more goals from the penalty corners. Karkera’s initial save off Hendrickx spilled into danger and Dilpreet reacted quickest to stab home the rebound to make it 2-1. Two minutes later, Hendrickx unleashed another fierce drag-flick, threading it beyond the right-post defender to restore the two-goal cushion. Ranchi pushed hard after the break, with Boon — the tournament’s top scorer with 19 goals — leading the charge. Yet the Lancers’ defence held firm until the final two minutes, when Boon converted a late penalty corner to cut the deficit.Hyderabad Toofans beat HIL GC for BronzeEarlier, Hyderabad Toofans secured third place with a 4-3 win over HIL GC. Amandeep Lakra scored twice, with Nilakanta Sharma and Jacob Anderson also on target. Sam Ward netted a brace for HIL GC and Kane Russell added the other goal to end the tournament with 14, all from penalty corners.Awards listPlayer of the Tournament: Amandeep Lakra, Hyderabad ToofansTop Scorer of the Tournament: Tom Boon, Ranchi Royals, 19 goalsUpcoming Player of the Tournament: Talem Priyobarta, HIL GCBest Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Prince Deep Singh, Tamil Nadu DragonsFairplay Award: HIL GC