Hockey India League: Soorma Hockey Club vs Tamil Nadu Dragons, preview, prediction, team news, and streaming details

The second match on Day 2 of the Hockey India League will witness Soorma Hockey Club taking on the Tamil Nadu Dragons in Rourkela's Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium on Sunday (December 29).

An enthralling opener that had to be decided via a shootout led to the Delhi SG Pipers bagging a bonus point after having held Team Gonasika to a 2-2 draw in regulation time on Saturday.

A battle of drag flickers is on the cards in the Hockey India League when the Soormas face off with the Dragons even as Harmanpreet Singh squares off against the combined firepower of Jip Janssen and Blake Govers.

While the bulk of the focus is certain to be on Harmanpreet Singh who ended up as the highest scorer in the Paris Olympics, two legendary international goalkeepers will also be showcasing their incredible skills.

Belgian veteran Vincent Vanasch and David Harte, one of the giants of Irish hockey, will be guarding the goal for the Soormas and the Dragons, respectively, in what promises to be an intriguing clash.

Jip Janssen, part of the Dutch side that won gold at Paris 2024, will be on hand to bolster the defense for the Tamil Nadu side in the company of Germany's Moritz Ludwig and Kothajit Singh.

Amit Rohidas too will add to the strength of the Dragons near the backlines while also hoping to display his drag-flicking skills alongside Aussie Blake Govers and Jip Janssen.

Germany's Martin Zwicker and the Kookaburras' Nathan Ephraums will provide the impetus up front for the Tamil Nadu side looking to penetrate a deep defense manned by the Soormas' Harmanpreet and Jeremy Hayward.

Argentina's Nicolas Keenan and Phil Roper of Great Britain will spearhead the attack for the Soormas who have the ever-dependable Vivek Sagar and Belgium's Victor Wegnez manning the midfield.

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Soorma Hockey Club vs Tamil Nadu Dragons, Hockey India League match details

Match Details: Soorma Hockey Club vs Tamil Nadu Dragons, League Match, Hockey India League 2024

Date & Time: Sunday, December 29, 2024, 8:15 PM IST

Venue: Rourkela, India

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Soorma Hockey Club vs Tamil Nadu Dragons: Full Squads

Soorma Hockey Club

Goalkeepers: Vincent Vanasch, Mohith HS, Jashandeep Singh

Defenders: Gurinder Singh, Maurya Ashu, Pradip Mandal, Nicolas Della Torre, Jeremy Hayward, Sukhvinder, Harmanpreet Singh

Midfielders: Vivek Sagar Prasad, Ankush, Victor Wegnez, Prabhjot Singh, Sunit Lakra, Harjeet Singh, Nicolas Poncelet

Forwards: Nicolas Keenan, Boris Burkhardt, Harish Somappa, Phil Roper, Pawan Rajbhar, Maninder Singh, Gurjant Singh

Tamil Nadu Dragons

Goalkeepers: David Harte, Arasu Senthamizh, Prince Deep Singh

Defenders: Jip Janssen, Kothajit Singh, Anand Lakra, Pruthvi GM, Moritz Ludwig, Anand Y, Amit Rohidas

Midfielders: Chandan Yadav, Blake Govers, Thomas Sorsby, Shesha Gowda, Dhilipan M, Arun J, Tom Craig, Mohd. Raheel

Forwards: Martin Zwicker, Sudev Abharan, Karthi Selvam, Ganesh Majji, Nathan Ephraums, Uttam Singh

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Soorma Hockey Club vs Tamil Nadu Dragons: Prediction

The Dragons will be keen not to concede too many penalty corners even as Harmanpreet Singh will be looking to begin the tournament with a bang. That said, penalty corners are certain to play a part in the proceedings with Janssen, Govers and Rohidas too keen to strike the target in their opener.

Score Prediction: Soorma Hockey Club 3 - 4 Tamil Nadu Dragons

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Where to watch Hockey India League 2024 matches in India?

Matches of the Hockey India League 2024 will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network and Doordarshan and streamed live on SonyLiv and Waves.