Hockey India League:  UP Rudras vs Hyderabad Toofans, preview, prediction, team news, and streaming details

UP Rudras, who briefly occupied the top spot on the Hockey India League points table, have a chance to become the table toppers again if they manage an outright win against the Hyderabad Toofans on Wednesday (January 8).

After notching up three straight wins, the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers crashed to a 0-6 defeat against the Kalinga Lancers on Tuesday, putting the Rudras within striking distance of climbing to the top of the league standings.

The Rudras, however, need to recover from a 0-2 defeat against the Tamil Nadu Dragons a couple of days ago. The Hyderabad Toofans, meanwhile, are still in search of an opening win in the Hockey India League.

While the second match of the Wednesday double-header could end up becoming a battle between Kane Russell and Gonzalo Peillat from the top of the circle, both teams also possess the ability to score aplenty from open play.

Sam Ward is slowly coming into his own after having missed the first game for the Rudras while Sudeep Chirmako and Gurjot Singh have made their mark early. Rafael Vilallonga and Floris Wortelboer have toiled tirelessly in midfield for the UP side with James Mazarelo guarding his goal with aplomb.

FIH Player of the Year for 2023, Hardik Singh has yet to get going for the Rudras while master coach Paul van Ass is unlikely to rest easy after a defeat in the previous game.

Zachary Wallace has done everything right apart from finding the back of the net for the Toofans with his speedy probing runs but will need to set up Tim Brand and Arshdeep Singh in goalscoring positions.

Needless to say, Gonzalo Peillat is the one player who can change the complexion of the context with his drag flicks while also helping the Toofans rise from the bottom position on the Hockey India League points table.

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UP Rudras vs Hyderabad Toofans, Hockey India League match details

Match Details: UP Rudras vs Hyderabad Toofans, League Match, Hockey India League 2024-25

Date & Time: Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 8:15 PM IST

Venue: Rourkela, India

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UP Rudras vs Hyderabad Toofans: Full Squads

UP Rudras

Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, James Mazarelo, Prashant Kumar Chauhan

Defenders: James Albery, Lars Balk, Surender Kumar, Sunil Jojo, Kane Russell, Prashant Barla, Sharda Nand Tiwari, Priyobarta Talem

Midfielders: Manmeet Singh, Jobanpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Rafael Vilallonga, Floris Wortelboer, Hardik Singh, Akashdeep Singh

Forwards: Sudeep Chirmako, Sam Ward, Tanguy Cosyns, Zaid Mohammad Khan, Gurjot Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay

Hyderabad Toofans

Goalkeepers: Vikas Dahiya, Dominic Dixon, Bikramjit Singh

Defenders: Ravindra Akshay Avhad, Mukul Sharma, Amandeep Lakra, Devinder Walmiki, Gonzalo Peillat, Arthur de Sloover, Jacob Anderson, Rajawat Sundaram Singh

Midfielders: Zachary Wallace, Rajinder Singh, Darshan Vibhav Gawkar, Nic Woods, Aakib Rahim Sayyed, Maico Casella, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma

Forwards: Timothy Daniel, Shilanand Lakra, Rohit Singh, Talwinder Singh, Arshdeep Singh

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UP Rudras vs Hyderabad Toofans: Prediction

There is little to separate the two sides in terms of their drag-flicking prowess with both Kane Russell and Gonzalo Peillat having scored penalty corner goals. The Rudras do have the edge up-front potentially if Lalit Upadhyay and Tanguy Cosyns manage to combine effectively with Sam Ward being the player to watch out for.

Score Prediction: UP Rudras 4 - 3 Hyderabad Toofans

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Where to watch Hockey India League 2024-25 matches in India?

Matches of the Hockey India League 2024-25 will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network and DD Sports and streamed live on SonyLiv and Waves.